The Baltimore Ravens weren’t the biggest players in the 2025 offseason. In the middle of a Super Bowl window, the limitations of the cap and meager draft capital ensured they wouldn’t show up on lists of the spring’s winners.
With superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and a strong core supporting him, a championship remains tantalizingly close. The offseason, thus, was meant to reinforce those Super Bowl aspirations by filling minor holes with smaller moves.
One such acquisition was receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Coming off the worst year of his career, expectations for the veteran receiver are low. That leaves plenty of room for Hopkins to impress in Baltimore.
At organized team activities (OTAs), Ravens head coach John Harbaugh revealed his first impression of Hopkins.
"First of all, I think he's a heck of a football player," John Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. "Obviously, you saw him today. He's a gifted guy. He's a talented guy. He's going to be a big-body, contested-catch receiver for us, certainly.
"He's moving great. Plus, he brings all that experience. He's been in big games before. He's made plays in the big games. He knows how to make plays. There's not going to be any situation that's going to be too big for him, but I just thought he and Lamar [Jackson] looked really good today out there together. It was nice to see."
Hopkins projects to be a complementary piece of the passing offense, particularly in the red zone. If he can earn Jackson’s trust, playing an outsized role remains possible, too.
However, Hopkins is entering his age-33 season. He posted just 610 yards across 16 games, 10 of which came with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and didn’t leave much of a mark in the playoffs.
Hopkins, as the third receiver in an offense with several non-perimeter targets, isn’t positioned to bounce back in the box score. But if he can win on third downs and insulate the passing offense, there’s room for him to write a successful chapter in Baltimore.
"[DeAndre Hopkins] looks great," said tight end Mark Andrews. "He looks really, really good. He's been making some big plays, and I think he's going to be great for our offense, just being versatile, having a guy that catches the ball extremely well, runs really fluid routes and knows the game well. And he looks like, when he's out here, he's flying around. He's looked really good."
Hopkins’ Pro Bowl days are behind him, but if he’s healthy, there’s a role for him in a successful Ravens offense. Fans will get a chance to confirm their favorite team’s first impressions as the summer rolls along.