By Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun (TNS)
LANDOVER — The Ravens dominated the Washington Commanders, 30-3, forcing four turnovers to complement a clock-chewing running game as the curtain closed Saturday on an undefeated, drama-free preseason. Here are five things we learned:
No one starts the final preseason game by accident
The Ravens had only one true defensive starter suit up at Northwest Stadium: third-year linebacker Trenton Simpson.
After a down year in 2024, the nadir being a post-Week 13 benching, Simpson bulked up heading into a prove-it camp. Having him start all three preseason games implies that Baltimore coaches still needed to see something — even if that doesn’t sway his projected starting role.
Simpson’s response? The best showing he’s had all summer, getting his hands involved in a pair of turnovers and recording 1 1/2 sacks.
Early in the second quarter, Simpson lined up over Washington’s right tackle and stabbed his hand toward the sky. His fingertips obstructed a pass from Sam Hartman that fell into the hands of cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, whose impressive camp has flown a bit under the radar. Before halftime, Simpson wrapped up Hartman for a strip-sack that outside linebacker Malik Hamm recovered.
“Trenton has really made a big step this year,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I just feel like the way he’s processing the game has been a big step. … Maybe it slowed down, maybe his brain processes faster, so his game has slowed down just a little bit. He seems like he’s very comfortable.”
Teddye Buchanan would be the one vying to unseat Simpson.
The fourth-round rookie has rotated in with the first teamers in practice. He teamed up with Simpson to log a half sack Saturday. He’s been sharp against the run. But he’s been less reliable when it’s not obvious where the ball is going — run-pass options, play-action, etc. It showed on Saturday when Hartman’s fake handoff pulled Buchanan a touch toward the line of scrimmage, freeing up tight end Colson Yankoff up the seam for what resulted in a 52-yard pickup.
Rookie edge rusher Mike Green is likely in a similar spot to Simpson. His impressive camp means that he’s in line to be on the field a lot, but the Ravens still want to see the second-round pick take advantage of more live reps, which led to him playing against Washington. He said there weren’t specific conversations about whether he should play in the preseason finale but acknowledged that it has been beneficial.
“I think it was great for me just to build up my football endurance and just get a better feel of the defense for another game,” Green said.
Malaki Starks hasn’t had to think about that. He warmed up in Landover but didn’t take a snap, similar to how Baltimore handled cornerback Nate Wiggins a year ago. All signs indicate that this year’s first-round pick is ready to go. The heavy chain bearing his last name that he wore through the postgame locker room says it all.
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UDFAs continue their fight for roster spots
The only thought in Keyon Martin’s mind was “don’t be one of those DBs.”
Hartman dropped back in the pocket and telegraphed his pass right to Martin. All the undrafted rookie had to do was put his hands up and not let the ball ricochet to the turf. “Then everybody would say, ‘Oh, you should have caught it.’”
The Ravens have had a UDFA standout in all three of their preseason games. Saturday happened to be Martin’s turn (again). He intercepted Hartman for his first-career pick-six, complemented by a tackle for loss. This, after he had a sack for a safety in Dallas. The cornerback from Louisiana spent Friday night visualizing a pick as his head hit the pillow. It didn’t play out the same way it did in his mind, but he was giddy nonetheless.
Martin seems to have wiggled his way into the initial 53-man roster. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound playmaker is a bit too small to contribute on special teams but certainly has the ability to offer depth at nickel if the Ravens’ decision makers feel the need to stock up on a position fraught with injury.
If they take seven cornerbacks, write Martin’s name in pencil.
“He keeps making big plays, and that’s something that is accounted for, for sure,” Harbaugh said. “I think he played sound as well; he did things the right way. He’s played just like that the whole camp.”
That’s why Martin’s name continues to pop up among a group of UDFAs all contending for a finite number of spots. Surely you’ve heard by now of Baltimore’s propensity for rostering a UDFA; they’ve done it in 20 of the past 21 seasons. That decision window for 2025 closes on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Defensive back Reuben Lowery and inside linebacker Jay Higgins IV are the other two who have impressed this preseason. Together, the trio has combined for four of Baltimore’s seven total takeaways this preseason. They’re earning their keep, though it’s coming at the expense of others.
That includes Beau Brade, who was in the mix to fill the third safety spot at the outset of camp and, as of Saturday, received most of his reps late in the win, perhaps an indication of where the player Harbaugh recently said is “good enough to make the team” stands in the waning days before the roster gets finalized.
Get used to seeing that one DB celebration
It’s a sword! It’s a seatbelt! It’s Jaire Alexander’s imprint on a defense that he hasn’t fully practiced with in a month.
Alexander arrived in Baltimore this summer with an unmistakable swagger. He’s got a unique energy, not unlike Marlon Humphrey, teammates said. Wide receiver Zay Flowers called him the most confident defensive back he’d ever lined up across. That is, in part, a nod to his patented celebration that looks like he’s strapping a seatbelt but might actually be sheathing a sword.
Either way, it’s the Ravens craze that’s here to stay. A welcome addition considering there were internal conversations last year about the lack of big-play juice.
In the first quarter on Saturday, cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. disrupted a long ball up the left sideline and strapped his seatbelt. The play was nullified by penalty. The celebration was not. A play later, Armour-Davis’ pass break-up had him, Tampa and Lowery all synching up to slide imaginary swords into their belts. Or lock seatbelts. Whichever.
Armour-Davis and Tampa are roster locks, solidified by season-ending injuries to rookies Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam. Lowery has made a convincing case to sneak onto the roster as the fourth safety, amplified by his makeup as a hybrid defensive back.
Considering neither Alexander nor Chidobe Awuzie, two offseason acquisitions in the secondary, have not practiced recently because of injury, that trio and how many times they can play sword-sheathing-worthy defense becomes all the more interesting.
They’re pushing to see how far Loop can go
This is no longer a conversation about whether rookie kicker Tyler Loop can handle being the next Ravens kicker. He quieted most concerns after twice missing from distance in preseason games and then going back out and nailing the deeper redemption try. On Saturday, he doubled down, legging out a 61-yarder with room to spare.
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Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop (33) celebrates after kicking a field goal during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Landover. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)AP
Loop’s longest attempt of the preseason was no accident. Harbaugh said their plan was to have him try from 63. Then on third-and-9, Devin Leary dropped a screen pass down to D’Ernest Johnson that he converted into a first down, which foiled those plans. Losing 7 total yards on the next three plays put them back on schedule for a long kick.
“See how well that worked out for us?” Harbaugh said. “It was a great kick. It was nice to see.”
Special teams coach Randy Brown pitched Loop on the idea of trying one from distance. “Heck yes, why not?’” Loop told him.
There were previously reasons to be skeptical of the organization’s first drafted kicker.
While he’s strung together an efficient training camp, complemented by a near perfect preseason, there were signs one might be inclined to read into. Loop’s biggest knock coming out of college was that he had a propensity to miss left. That’s how a couple misses unfolded in practice. His 50-yarder against Dallas fell the same way. But Loop has since shown that he’s mastered the preseason — with distance.
Neither Harbaugh nor Loop had numbers to quantify Loop’s range. The rookie called it “pretty fluid.” He’ll go back and forth with Brown pregame to get a feel for the wind and the stadium and how he’s swinging his leg on a given day.
“Today, when we were going that way, we were joking,” Loop said. “We were like, ‘Hey, if it’s on the 50, let’s just try it for fun.’ But yes, I’m just trying to hit every ball the same. That’s kind of the big part of it.”
Lamar Jackson is indeed fine
The two-time Most Valuable Player left practice early Wednesday, and a team spokesperson clarified that he got his foot stepped on. Jackson did not practice Thursday but Harbaugh said that his X-rays came back clean. Anyone with any vested interest in the success of the Ravens this season has been on pins and needles waiting to hear any iota of an update on the quarterback.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)AP
Harbaugh said Saturday afternoon that he expects Jackson to practice Monday.
“Yes, absolutely. Unless he doesn’t want to,” Harbaugh said, a hearty laugh cutting into his otherwise stoic demeanor. “He is Lamar.”
Backup Cooper Rush has had a so-so training camp. In the preseason, he completed 22 of 34 attempts for 214 yards with one touchdown and a trio of interceptions. He took steps forward with each outing, from a short-lived debut marred by an interception on his first throw to his third time out, in which Harbaugh deemed him “a very good backup quarterback.”
If the Ravens have it their way, there won’t be any need to worry about whether Rush can keep the team afloat.
Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn atscohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 andx.com/samdcohn.
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