The start of the free agency turned chaotic for the Baltimore Ravens in a hurry. Within a day, the Ravens saw seven players leave the team, including Isaiah Likely and Tyler Linderbaum. But the real question now is this: Are the Ravens rebuilding, or are they allowing the pieces Lamar Jackson needs to slip through their fingers?

“Ravens lose both of their FA safeties,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec posted on X. “All told, they’ve lost seven UFAs today: TE Isaiah Likely, TE Charlie Kolar, C Tyler Linderbaum, OLB Dre’Mont Jones, S Ar’Darius Washington, S Alohi Gilman, and P Jordan Stout. They also didn’t tender RB Keaton Mitchell.”

The post came shortly after Ian Rapoport reported that the Kansas City Chiefs were signing Ravens safety Alohi Gilman. Meanwhile, safety Ar’Darius Washington had already agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Giants.

Gilman agreed to a three-year, $24.75 million contract with the Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, meaning both of Baltimore’s free-agent safeties are now moving on.

Gilman was originally drafted in the sixth round in 2020 by the Chargers. However, he has helped the Ravens’ defense stabilize since he was traded over to the team. Since he entered the Ravens’ lineup, the team has allowed an average of 18.4 points per game. Gilman has started 12 games at deep safety this past season.

Gilman has accumulated 320 tackles, five interceptions, 27 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries during his time in the NFL with the Chargers and Ravens.

Baltimore has also lost tight end Isaiah Likely, who has agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants. Center Tyler Linderbaum has agreed to a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Charlie Kolar, the Ravens’ tight end, has agreed to a three-year, $24.3 million contract with the Chargers. Edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones signed a three-year, $36.5 million contract with the New England Patriots, while punter Jordan Stout agreed to a record three-year, $12.3 million deal with the Giants.

Meanwhile, Washington remains an unrestricted free agent after not receiving an offer sheet last year, and running back Keaton Mitchell also hit the open market after the Ravens declined to tender him as a restricted free agent.

Altogether, these moves show how intense bidding during free agency can be. In just 24 hours, the Ravens lost seven key players.

The Baltimore Ravens’ needs in the 2026 NFL Draft

With seven free agents leaving, the Baltimore Ravens may now look to the 2026 NFL Draft to help rebuild and strengthen their roster.

While Baltimore struggled in 2025 and finished with an 8–9 record, the same can’t really be said about quarterback Lamar Jackson. In 13 games, he completed 192 of 302 passes for over 2,000 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

He also added 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While they have a talented quarterback, one of the team’s biggest needs is an edge rusher, according to ESPN. Last season, it was the first time since 1996 that Baltimore didn’t have an edge rusher finish the season with more than 4.5 sacks. To make things tougher, one of their most experienced outside linebackers, Dre’Mont Jones, has already signed with another team.

The offensive line is another big concern. After the departure of center Tyler Linderbaum, the Ravens have new starting guards.

Baltimore could also use more depth at wide receiver to support Zay Flowers and possibly another starting receiver, depending on what happens with DeAndre Hopkins and Rashod Bateman.

At tight end, only Mark Andrews is under contract beyond 2026. That means Baltimore could also be searching for replacements after losing Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency.

However, the good news for the Ravens is that they are adding more draft picks. The NFL awarded the Ravens four compensatory picks, with two of them being in the fifth round and the other two in the seventh round.

The Ravens are projected to have 10 picks in the 2026 draft. This shows they are going to rebuild some of the essential positions of the game while putting a better team around their talented quarterback, Lamar Jackson.