CLEVELAND, Ohio — We have the 2025 Browns schedule, and now it’s time to look at what each of the teams they will play this season has changed ahead of the season.
I will have these opponent breakdowns over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the season as we look at the biggest addition, subtraction, best draft pick and what they all mean for when they play the Browns.
Next up on the schedule is a look at the back-to-back AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns travel to Baltimore in Week 2 and then welcome the Ravens to Cleveland in Week 11. Baltimore is coming off a loss in the AFC Divisional round to the Bills.
What did the Ravens do this offseason to give Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry more help?
Here is a look at the Ravens offseason.
Check out links earlier posts in this series at the bottom of this post.
**Biggest addition: WR DeAndre Hopkins**
----------------------------------------
One of Baltimore’s biggest problems in the Lamar Jackson era is that they have struggled to find him help at receiver. They did draft Zay Flowers in 2023, and he went to his first Pro Bowl last season. But they still need more to compete with the Chiefs.
While Hopkins is not the star receiver that he once was, he still is a productive player. Last season in stints with the Titans and Chiefs, he caught 56 passes for 610 yards and five touchdowns.
The Ravens won’t need Hopkins to be elite again. As long as he is solid and consistent, he’ll fit in well with Baltimore’s pass catchers.
**Biggest subtraction: K Justin Tucker**
----------------------------------------
While Tucker may have been the best kicker in NFL history in his prime, 2024 was far and away his worst season. He made just 73.3% of his field goals last season, which was the first time he hit fewer than 82% of his kicks.
This offseason, news surfaced that [Tucker had been accused by multiple massage therapists of sexual misconduct](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.cleveland.com%2Fclick%2F40106774.2661%2FaHR0cHM6Ly9uYW0xMC5zYWZlbGlua3MucHJvdGVjdGlvbi5vdXRsb29rLmNvbS8_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%2F5eff35bc12325533c12324f7B1181c651&data=05%7C02%7Ctbielik%40cleveland.com%7C5f9060f402c2443ea87008dda11d2778%7C1fe6294574e64203848fb9b82929f9d4%7C0%7C0%7C638843868804408723%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=OoYsPiQX3DsViruzKNoUilrGqoldyW8lWKxbJs0j6hI%3D&reserved=0).
Tucker’s future looked to be written in stone once the Ravens drafted Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. [On May 5, the Ravens officially released Tucker.](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.cleveland.com%2Fclick%2F40106774.2661%2FaHR0cHM6Ly9uYW0xMC5zYWZlbGlua3MucHJvdGVjdGlvbi5vdXRsb29rLmNvbS8_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%2F5eff35bc12325533c12324f7C135ab93a&data=05%7C02%7Ctbielik%40cleveland.com%7C5f9060f402c2443ea87008dda11d2778%7C1fe6294574e64203848fb9b82929f9d4%7C0%7C0%7C638843868804419440%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Rm70I80Ez9WfBs4BGKAu%2B3e5CeKYSe4fM73gnxlhi6U%3D&reserved=0)
Whatever the real reason for Tucker’s release, it will hurt the Ravens to not have a proven elite kicker going into 2025.
**Best draft pick: S Malaki Starks**
------------------------------------
After letting Marcus Williams leave in free agency, the Ravens decided to fill the void next to Kyle Hamilton at safety by selecting the productive, intelligent playmaker from Georgia late in the first round.
Starks had been an impact player from the second he arrived at Georgia and played a big role in the Bulldogs winning a second consecutive national championship. While he may not be an elite athlete, he has incredible intelligence and ball skills.
Those tools should make him a very good complement next to Hamilton as Baltimore continues to build out its defense.
**What it means in their matchups with the Browns**
---------------------------------------------------
The Ravens didn’t have to change much because they remain one of the biggest challengers to the Chiefs in the AFC. The combination of Jackson and Henry alone makes the Ravens as difficult an offense to slow down as there is in football. Adding DeAndre Hopkins just creates another piece to worry about, even if Hopkins isn’t the superstar he once was.
The biggest question might be whether Loop can be anywhere close to how reliable Tucker was considering Tucker has an argument for being the best kicker in NFL history. They likely won’t be almost guaranteed points from the opponents’ 40-yard line and in, but that doesn’t make Baltimore any less dangerous.
Going to Baltimore in Week 2 is quite a difficult proposition for the Browns not just because they’ll be breaking in a new starting quarterback, but also because September has historically been one of Jackson’s best months. It’ll obviously be a tall order for a Browns team going through quite a transition in 2025.
**Catch up on the series**
--------------------------