According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, there’s “growing optimism” that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will be able to return from the neck injury he suffered last year.
When asked about Madubuike a few weeks ago, GM Eric DeCosta said they will continue to wait for more information on him.
“There are a lot of unknowns when you build a team, and sometimes — I learned from [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] — sometimes, the best thing to do is just wait for more information, and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” DeCosta said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
Baltimore’s new HC Jesse Minter wouldn’t provide an update on Madubuike’s health, but mentioned that he’s “in a great frame of mind.”
“You keep the players’ health and long-term longevity at the forefront of anything, and so, that’s what we’ll do,” Minter said. “We will have multiple plans in place, but just excited for him. He’s in a great frame of mind right now. He’s excited, so just excited to see how it all shakes out.”
DeCosta thinks losing Madubuike was a “horrible situation” for their defense, which impacted their productivity in “many ways.”
“Not having Nnamdi this year was a horrible situation for our team,” DeCosta said. “I think it affected us in different ways — in many ways. He is a great player, a great person [and] a special person. [We are] still working through a lot of his different ideas and things [so] that we can hopefully get more and more information about his situation.”
Madubuike, 27, was a third-round pick by the Ravens out of Texas A&M back in 2020. He signed a four-year rookie deal with the Ravens worth $4,853,308, including a $1,089,680 signing bonus, $1,089,680 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,213,327.
The Ravens franchised Madubuike in 2024 but then signed him to a long-term deal for four years, worth $98.5 million
In 2025, Madubuike appeared in two games for the Ravens and recorded two sacks, as well as seven combined tackles.
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