Ravens Week 6 Rookie Report: Pass Catchers Shine Despite Offensive Struggles

Several members of the Baltimore Ravens' 2026 rookie class saw extended action in Sunday's drag of a 13-10 road loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. They are in an AFC North division in which every team's record is above .500, and after falling to 4-2, they are now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for second place in the standings heading into next week.

Drafted and undrafted first-year players saw extensive playing time in all three phases. Fourth-round tight end Matthew Hibner was out with a hand injury, while the only rookies who were healthy scratches were fourth-round wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and undrafted quarterback Joe Fagnano, who still suited up as an emergency No. 3 option. Fifth-round running back Adam Randall wasn't activated from short-term injured reserve in his second week of eligibility and seventh-round defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny is on the practice squad and has yet to be elevated.

Here’s an overview of how these rookies performed in their late taste of NFL regular-season action.

IOL Olaivavega Ioane

The first-round interior offensive lineman made his third straight and final start at center since sliding over from right guard. While the offensive line as a whole struggled to hold up in pass protection and gain much traction in the ground game, Ioane was far from the problem and still managed to put some nice reps on tape of him clearing rushing lanes for star running back Derrick Henry.

OLB Zion Young

The second-rounder continues to be a steady rotational presence for the Ravens on early downs, playing 25 defensive snaps against the Browns. He recorded a trio of total tackles for the third time this season, including an assisted takedown for a loss, two solos and his first career quarterback hit.

WR Ja'Kobi Lane

In his first game back from a four-week stint on injured reserve after suffering a fractured wrist in the season opener, the third-rounder made quite a strong impression and was on the field for over 50% of the offense's total snaps, with 31. Lane made the most of his opportunities by catching four of his five targets for 40 receiving yards and was the highest-graded offensive player on the team according to Pro Football Focus with an overall of 79.7. Each of his snags resulted in a first down, as he presented himself as a quarterback-friendly target for Huntley in the passing game in some key situations, three of which came on third down. Lane also showcased his skills as a downfield blocker in the run game as well.

"I thought Ja'Kobi did some really nice things," head coach Jesse Minter said. "I think there's parts of the game where [you can see] it's his second game, and it shows that it's his second game. Then you see what also created a lot of the energy and excitement around Ja'Kobi for how he did in training camp with his ability to pluck the ball out of the air and make tough catches and be a really physical receiver and use his body really well. I thought he had some really nice plays and some nice catches. He had a couple really nice blocks as well."

CB Chandler Rivers

The fifth-rounder didn't see any playing time on defense for the first time since making his regular-season debut in Week 2, after the Ravens decided to deploy second-year pro Keyon Martin at the nickel spot over him. He did play 15 snaps on special teams for the second week in a row, tying his career high, which also ranked second-most among rookies.

TE Josh Cuevas

The fifth-rounder saw an uptick in his playing time for the fourth week in a row, with 30 combined snaps between offense and special teams, including a season-high 23 on offense and seven on special teams. He was on the field early and often, playing 40.4 % of the team's total offensive snaps and recording career highs with four catches for five targets, 44 receiving yards and his first touchdown.

Cuevas was the beneficiary of one of offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's most innovative play designs of the season thus far, where he essentially lined up at left guard before going on to record his longest career reception on a 29-yard catch-and-run.

P Ryan Eckley

The sixth-round specialist impressed as a field-flipping weapon for the third week in a row, setting new career highs for punts in a game and punt yardage with seven for 346 yards. He pinned the Browns' offense inside their 20-yard line three times, including an excellent play where he joined forces with special teams ace Keondre Jackson to stop the ball at the Cleveland one-yard line. Eckley averaged 49.4 yards per punt with a new career-long of 62.

OLB Ethan Burke

Even with the return of four-time Pro Bowl veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson from finger surgery, the undrafted free agent still got to see some playing time on defense, although it wasn't in the double digits, with seven and logged the fourth-most special teams snaps on the team with 18, which was also the most among rookies. During his limited playing time on defense, Burke came close to notching his second career regular-season sack twice. Both instances came with him rushing against the Browns' right tackle, and he narrowly missed Deshaun Watson before one of his teammates came in and finished the play.