The Baltimore Ravens are among the teams with the fewest roster holes to fill following the 2025 NFL Draft. But every team – even those who are coming off of a Super Bowl victory – has a need for more depth or some roster turnover to account for.
Baltimore’s run defense was the best in the league in 2024 by a wide margin, surrendering just 80.1 yards per game. (For context, the Minnesota Vikings finished with the second-best run defense at 93.4 yards per game.) Their pass rush was able to get to the quarterback, as well, registering the second-most sacks with 54.
But after the retirement of veteran defensive lineman Michael Pierce in March, the Ravens had a massive hole – measuring 6’0″ and 355 lbs., to be exact – to fill. Could a former #1 pick be the answer for the Ravens’ defensive line?
Could Ravens Reunite With Former #1 Pick Jadeveon Clowney?
Jadeveon Clowney is fresh off of a season where he tied for the team lead with 5 1/2 sacks, but the 11-year veteran was released by the Carolina Panthers last week.
While it’s a quite unceremonious exit for a former first-overall pick, the Panthers made it a priority to get younger and faster off the edge by drafting edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen with back-to-back picks in the second and third round of this year’s NFL Draft.
But according to Joseph Person of The Athletic, Clowney said “this isn’t the end of his playing days.”
“I’m definitely gonna play well,” Clowney said during a phone interview with The Athletic. “You can mark my word on that. I don’t care where I end up playing at, I’m gonna play extremely well.”
Clowney says he thinks he played well for Carolina last year and hopes another team gives him an opportunity to prove himself. According to Person, Clowney said that Panthers general manager Dan Morgan reached out and “offered him a chance to stay if he agreed to a pay cut, but he declined.”
“I got more in the tank than people think,” said Clowney. “I just keeping bringing it, and they’re gonna keep counting me out. I’ll just keep worrying about what’s in the house. And nobody lives with me but my family, so that’s all that matters.”
Other Targets Could Include Maurice Hurst and DeMarcus Walker
If the Ravens aren’t interested in a reunion with Clowney or he prefers a different fit, Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus writes that Maurice Hurst and DeMarcus Walker are two names to target.
“The Ravens added some young depth in Aeneas Peebles in the 2025 NFL Draft, but another veteran in the ranks would be an asset,” writes Cameron. “Hurst has been hampered by injuries but isn’t far removed from a career-best 84.6 PFF overall grade in 2023, while Walker has the durability but a middling grading profile (65.5 PFF grade in 2024).”
During his first three seasons – all with the Raiders – Hurst recorded 76 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception across 40 games. But injuries have derailed his career, as he has only played in 23 games across the past 4 seasons. When healthy, though, the 6-year veteran can make an impact. In 2023, he appeared in 13 games, tying his career highs with 4 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections and 1 interception.
When the Chicago Bears cut DeMarcus Walker in February, most analysts expected that a team looking for a veteran edge rusher would jump on the opportunity to sign him. That hasn’t materialized to this point, though, so it’s possible the 8-year veteran edge rusher could end up being a late addition to the Ravens’ defensive line. Walker is coming off of a career year, in which he started all 17 games, recording a career-high 47 tackles and tying a career-high 16 quarterback hits. He also recorded 3 1/2 sacks and 7 tackles for loss.
