Which Baltimore Ravens could make the leap in 2025?
As the Baltimore Ravens prepare to enter another pivotal season with Super bowl aspirations, they’ll be relying on internal growth from some of their incumbents on the roster. The Ravens have a number of players who could emerge and take big strides in 2025.
Who are some of the prime candidates to make a significant leap forward next year? Let’s take a look.
OG Andrew Vorhees
Vorhees won the starting left guard job last offseason and played 100% of the team’s offensive snaps in Weeks 1-3. Then, an injury sidelined him for the next two games. When he returned, the Ravens opted to keep veteran Patrick Mekari in the starting lineup. Mekari wound up holding onto this role for the remainder of the season.
Vorhees’ performance through three weeks was up-and-down, as to be expected from essentially a rookie, but he showed promise. Had he not gotten injured, it’s possible his play would have steadily progressed as the year went on and he remained the starter.
With Mekari having departed in free agency, Vorhees will be the early favorite to assume his place as the starting left guard once again. The Ravens could add competition in the draft and did re-sign Ben Cleveland as well. However, should he stay healthy for a full offseason, Vorhees has a lot of talent and potential. He could take a big step forward in 2025 as a full-time starter for the first time.
LB Trenton Simpson
Simpson was billed as a breakout candidate in 2024 but failed to meet expectations. He replaced Patrick Queen as the Ravens’ starting linebacker opposite Roquan Smith and started the first 13 games of the season. His role began to decline as the year progressed, though, and by season’s end he was holding onto to only a handful of defensive snaps each game.
The former Clemson product has loads of athleticism and raw talent, but his processing ability and pass coverage consistency proved to be a work-in-progress. Simpson ceded playing time to veterans Chris Board and Malik Harrison, which may have contributed to the team’s second-half defensive turnaround during the year.
Board and Harrison both signed elsewhere in free agency, meaning Simpson should be back up to the plate with another opportunity to start alongside Smith. If Simpson’s intangibles and skills catch up to his athletic abilities, the sky is the limit for the rising third-year pro.
OT Roger Rosengarten
Rosengarten already established himself as a solid right tackle in his rookie season. He improved as the season went along and wound up starting 14 of 17 games. Rosengarten showed flashes of high-level play against some of the league’s better pass rushers.
With another year offseason under his belt and now being more established, Rosengarten’s next step would be the “from good to great” leap. Many second-year players make this type of jump. Former Ravens OT Orlando Brown Jr. is a good example, as he turned into a Pro Bowl right tackle during his second season back in 2019.
With the Ravens having some question marks at both guard positions, Rosengarten will relied upon to be a rock-solid bookend opposite Ronnie Stanley. Given Stanley’s lengthy injury past, Rosengarten’s versatility is an added asset as well.
CB Nate Wiggins
Like Rosengarten, Wiggins emerged during his rookie season to become a reliable contributor down the stretch. His role increased along with improved play and he was exceeding 80% of the team’s defensive snaps by the end of the year.
As is the case with most rookie defensive backs, Wiggins was not immune to his share of mistakes, but his playmaking ability and athleticism were evident quite often. If he can clean up some penalty issues and become more consistent, Wiggins could quickly blossom into a top-half player at the position.
Wiggins usurped Brandon Stephens as the team’s second-best cornerback behind Marlon Humphrey. Together the two form a formidable and versatile duo. Wiggins will be relied upon even more to take his game to another level in Year 2.