Baltimore

Ravens

“That will be up to him when the time is right,” Minter said. Madubuike missed almost the entire season with the neck injury and there have been rumors here and there about it being career-threatening. The Ravens badly missed Madubuike as an interior force last year and, if they can’t bring him back, will likely seek to fortify their interior line in free agency and the draft this offseason.

Jackson, slated to be a free agent after the 2027 NFL season, could re-up with the Ravens after being involved in the coaching search that ended with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as Baltimore’s new head coach. During a press conference at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, DeCosta declined to discuss any details of a potential extension for Jackson, who in 2023 signed a five-year deal worth $260 million, with $185 million guaranteed. Jackson, 29, is looking to bounce back in 2026 after an injury-marred 2025 campaign in which the Ravens missed the playoffs.

DeCosta was clear about the team’s intent to keep Linderbaum as he’s expected to have several suitors in free agency this spring. The All-Pro center, perhaps the best in the league, could see interest from the Chargers and Giants, as both teams are coached by Harbaugh brothers, and John Harbaugh — Baltimore’s former head coach — is trying his best to get the band back together in New York. Pro Football Focus graded Linderbaum 23rd among centers in pass blocking last year and third in run blocking. Linderbaum has been durable, missing just two regular season games over his first four NFL seasons.

Bozeman started his career as a sixth-round pick with the Ravens back in 2018 and also spent time with the Panthers and Chargers. The eight-year vet started 110 of the 129 games he appeared in during his career, and started all 156 games at center for the Chargers last season.

The Chargers do not often dip outside of GM Joe Hortiz’s preferred free agency lanes, but Rhim speculates it might be different for the former Ravens center who Hortiz helped draft in 2022. The Chargers definitely have a need at the position as Bradley Bozeman has been outclassed the last few years. Linderbaum would do a lot to help fix an interior line that has just never come together. But this does rely on the Chargers doing something they haven’t really done under Hortiz yet: spending big in free agency.

Speaking to Jon Gruden on Gruden Goes Long, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely said he wants to “be able to blossom” moving forward. He added that he would like to return to Baltimore, a place he considers “home,” but was upfront with the fact that “business is business” as he works his way through his first free agency of his career. “I just want to be on a team where I can get out there and help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points on the board as possible,” Likely concluded. We’ll need to see how the coming months play out, but it certainly appears as if Likely is preparing to find a new home on the open market for the 2027 season.

When the Ravens surprisingly re-upped Mark Andrews in-season, it seemed to point to the idea that Likely could leave in free agency. This report only accentuates that. Turning 26 in April, Likely would seem to be one of the few free agent tight ends (perhaps alongside Chig Okonkwo) with any real starter upside. Zrebiec believes “he should do quite well” in free agency.

Linderbaum is expected to have a strong market, in other words. The two natural landing spots will be a return to Baltimore and a reunion with coach John Harbaugh in New York, though neither are exactly flush with cap space. Linderbaum has posted PFF grades above 74.6 in all four of his seasons and is a strong run blocker despite being undersized. He’ll turn 26 in April.

Likely, an unrestricted free agent, could see interest from multiple teams this spring, including the Commanders, who are likely to move on from veteran TE Zach Ertz after his catastrophic knee injury in 2025. “Likely would bring more upside with his catch-and-run ability. A move player in the formation, Likely would also be schemed to create underneath one-on-ones,” Bowen said. In his four seasons with the Ravens, Likely popped off a few times in a run-heavy offense, usually when Mark Andrews was sidelined. Likely since the start of the 2024 season ranks fourth among all tight ends in ESPN’s open score, which measures a player’s ability to separate from defenders. He would be an intriguing fantasy option as an every-down player in Washington.

Colbert was with the Broncos for three seasons. He previously coached in the college ranks, getting most of his experience at USC as a position coach and an assistant. Colbert will lead a receiver room headlined by Zay Flowers, who just went for a career-high 1,211 yards. The hope will be that Colbert can also get more out of Rashod Bateman, who logged a pitiful 224 yards and two scores in 2025.