For Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta, the clock was ticking in Pittsburgh with a potential deal on the table involving one of the 32 NFL teams. But given the high-stakes pressure of the NFL Draft war room, a trade partner getting cold feet is not one possibility you rule out. DeCosta now knows that from experience.

The Ravens had 11 picks in this year’s draft, and they planned to build depth around the team, which is something they didn’t have much of last season. So, when they got the opportunity, they put a draft-day deal in place with an unnamed team to move back into the teens for a pair of fourth-round picks across the next two drafts. But the deal fell through at the last moment, forcing Baltimore to pivot and stay at No. 14.

By the time they were on the clock, the Baltimore Ravens still had three players they liked on the board, including tight end Kenyon Sadiq and defensive end Rueben Bain, whom DeCosta was reportedly surprised to see still available. But as fate would have it, they ultimately selected Olaivavega Ioane, an offensive guard out of Penn State, a pick they hope will set the tone for a return to their roots and shape the next iteration of the team.

“We had something on the table, but inexplicably they told us they’d changed their mind,” DeCosta said, via Michael Silver of The Athletic. “They changed the deal (and made another offer that wasn’t as good), and we passed.”

The Baltimore Ravens came into the draft with a clear agenda to re-establish Baltimore’s physical identity rooted in the tundra of the AFC North, while continuing to build around their superstar quarterback, Lamar Jackson. That approach led them to Olaivavega Ioane, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard who was widely viewed as one of the top offensive linemen in this year’s class.

According to EssentiallySports NFL senior analyst Tony Pauline, Ioane is a perfect fit for Baltimore’s scheme and projects to be a productive lineman for years to come. As the draft went on, DeCosta continued to give Lamar Jackson additional help, adding a host of offensive weapons, including wide receiver selections and a tight end in the fourth and fifth rounds.

After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Ravens now enter the new season with a new head coach for the first time in 19 years, with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter stepping in as just the fourth head coach in franchise history. The AFC North itself is in a state of transition, with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns hiring new head coaches in Mike McCarthy and Todd Monken, leaving Zac Taylor as the longest-tenured head coach in the division! With that, Baltimore will firmly view the AFC North as wide open and very much there for the taking.

In addition to the coaching change, the Ravens have also undergone notable roster changes, most prominently adding DE Trey Hendrickson on a four-year, $112 million deal from division rival Cincinnati Bengals. On the other side of the trenches, they lost their star center, Tyler Linderbaum, to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he became the highest-paid center in the league.

Despite losing Linderbaum, the Ravens boosted the interior line with the signing of guard John Simpson from the Jets. These additions are also aimed at maximizing the impact of their running back, Derrick Henry, who continues to defy odds at age 32.

But the signal from the Ravens is quite clear: it’s all hands on deck, and their time is right now, putting all the focus on one man in particular.

Pressure builds on Eric DeCosta as Ravens enter defining stretch

Eric DeCosta and the Baltimore Ravens have had a turbulent past couple of months, during which he’s lost not only his best friend and head coach of 17 years but also his backyard neighbor after the firing of John Harbaugh. Then there was the Maxx Crosby trade.

DeCosta and the Ravens backed out of a trade 4 days after coming to an agreement they had in place with the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the 14th pick and Maxx Crosby. This botched deal became the talking point of the entire league and has made DeCosta public enemy number one in the eyes of Raiders fans, while also bringing him and the Ravens front office under heavy scrutiny across the league.

The Ravens are also at a crossroads as a franchise. Despite having a first-year head coach, the pressure to win now is higher than ever. While Lamar Jackson still appears to be in his prime at age 29, the question now is how much longer he can sustain playing at this level, given the physical nature of his game. So the clock is ticking, and DeCosta and the Ravens are on the spot.