The Ravens highlighted their pass rush as a need heading into Jesse Minter's first season in Baltimore, hoping to give the former defense coordinator tools to succeed as he takes over for the long-tenured John Harbaugh.
Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta was aggressive on that front ahead of free agency, initially agreeing to trade two first-round picks for Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby. However, the Ravens backed out of the trade due to medical reasons and later signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal.
Minter spoke to NFL Network's Chief National Reporter Steve Wyche on Sunday at the Annual League Meeting and broke down how Hendrickson will impact Baltimore's defense.
"Trey is a closer. I mean, he's a guy that has the second-most sacks in the fourth quarter of games since 2021," Minter said of the four-time Pro Bowler. "That's an area where we want to improve and want to finish out games when we have the lead. We've had more leads in the fourth quarter than any team in the last five years. So, getting a guy like that will help our pass rush, help the defensive backs, rushing coverage work together.
"So, when you add a primary premium pass rusher, it makes everybody else's job on the defense easier at times. He's gonna draw a lot of attention. I think our pass rush in general is gonna be a lot better, because other people may have more one-on-one opportunities. And then the DBs, you know, when you don't have to cover as long, it makes life easier. We couldn't be more excited to add Trey."
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Before signing with an AFC North rival, Hendrickson was a force to be reckoned with as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals for five seasons. Over Hendrickson's first four years with Cincy, he totaled 57 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, 112 QB hits and 11 forced fumbles amid a stretch of four straight Pro Bowl nods. In 2025, however, Hendrickson only appeared in seven games and was placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury.
He still fills a need for Baltimore, though, especially if he can get back to staying on the field.
On offense, The Ravens have seen some key pieces leave through the same free-agency process Hendrickson arrived. Three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum signed a three-year deal with the Raiders, tight end Isaiah Likely followed Harbaugh to the Giants and others have joined new teams.
Despite Linderbaum and Likely's departures from Baltimore, Minter acknowledges that there's still time to add players via trade or through April's draft.
"I think building a team is a process, you know, it's a long way between now and September," Minter told Wyche. "So, there's a lot of ways to continue to add and supplement your roster. There's still some free agents out there. There is the draft, there's trade opportunities so I trust our front office and ourselves to work really, really well together to continue to put the best pieces that we can out there."
Baltimore currently holds 11 total picks in the 2026 NFL Draft to help their process along.