**Brown:** How to handle the preseason is one of many decisions facing Head Coach Jesse Minter.
My gut tells me that most Ravens starters won't play at all until Week 1. I think that's why Minter scheduled two joint practices against the Minnesota Vikings and one against the Washington Commanders.
Those joint practices will give the starters a chance to get valuable reps against another team. It's as close as the Ravens can get to the real thing, without the risk of playing their starters in the preseason.
Yes, the Ravens want to avoid another 1-5 start like last season. But their offense didn't look rusty coming out of the box in 2025. They scored 40 points in Week 1, 41 points in Week 2, and 30 points in Week 3.
It was their defense that struggled, and Minter's experience as a former defensive coordinator should help steady Baltimore on that side of the football coming out of the box. To me, playing starters like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith during the preseason just isn't worth the risk of injury. We'll soon find out if Minter feels the same way.