Mike Green Angling for Major Breakout Year for Ravens in 2026

The Baltimore Ravens needed to get better on the pass rush side of things, which is why the team brought back Calais Campbell, signed Trey Hendrickson, and drafted Zion Young. However, they could have an emerging star in linebacker Mike Green.

Green showed plenty of promise in 2026, picking up 3.5 sacks. He coupled that with 14 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss.

Now, Green can learn from players like Campbell and Hendrickson as he looks to take the next step in his playing career. The Ravens linebacker joined "The Lounge" to discuss his journey thus far and speak on how the game is "slowing down" for him.

"I think now I had a little bit more time to actually be able to gather a lot of more information that, you know, like I was missing my rookie year cuz, you know, I feel like a lot of things move fast your first year in the league. And I think coming into this second year, things are starting to slow down for me a lot more and I'm getting a lot better feel for a lot of things," Green said. 

Oftentimes, rookie NFL players are thrust into this new world and have to acclimate and get ready to play reps. Green was immediately given the chance to contribute in a big way, as he played 713 total snaps in his first year.

Now, the Ravens defender is alluding to being able to see things slowed down in a way where he can take that information and learn even more from it.

Green also spoke about the transition from college to the NFL, and how even though he secured 17 sacks in his senior year, going against the "best of the best" hit him with a big reality check.

"I didn't really meet the standard that I wanted to meet, um I got to think about a couple different things. Like these are the best of the best guys that I'm going against, right? Every single week. And um not really like saying that like that's just an excuse, but it's just being realistic," Green said.

Green stated that he was shown film from his coaches, especially in situations where he nearly won out on his pass rush assignment and got to the quarterback. Though he only managed 3.5 sacks, he had multiple near misses in 2025.

Being that he was going against high-level players on opposing offenses, that could be the silver lining and the biggest aspect of his play to work towards. Green should see a sizable jump for the Ravens in 2026, especially given that he now gets to learn from consummate pros.

That, and Jesse Minter being a strong defensive mind, along with the return of Anthony Weaver, should lead to the defense being a focal point for the new season.

That is not to say that the offense will not be dynamic, as it always is under quarterback Lamar Jackson. It is just that it may be time for the Ravens to return to their defensive identity, and Green now has a chance to emerge as a cornerstone piece in that new identity.