Ravens GM Reveals Major Return Update on Teddye Buchanan, Nnamdi Madubuike

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been very careful about not revealing too much regarding the return of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, and to a lesser extent, linebacker Teddye Buchanan.

Though there has been speculation regarding Madubuike returning at some point in the 2026 season, that has now been given a major update, as has Buchanan's return after tearing his ACL late in the 2025 season.

DeCosta joined "105.7 The Fan" to discuss both of their rehabs and revealed that both are expected to return, with Buchanan coming back "sooner" than Madubuike. 

"I'm optimistic about both guys. cuz I'm not going to get into all the specifics, but I think you'll see I think you'll see Teddy sooner than later," DeCosta said. "He has done a great job. I mean, I mean, top, you know, 1% of rehabs that I've seen in my time here, which has been 30 years in terms of rehab. Um, very, very optimistic about Teddy."

Buchanan was turning in a big rookie season, as he was second in tackles on the Ravens with 93 before the injury occurred. He also had half a sack and five tackles for loss.

Despite the injury, Buchanan was also named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team. ACL injuries usually take around a year to recover from, but the young linebacker was seen working out and making cuts on the field in recent weeks.

That could be the "1%" that DeCosta was talking about, but it seems that Buchanan may be ready to go by Week 1, or at least within the first quarter of the 2026 season. This is just speculation, but the Ravens' defense getting a young, dynamic player back will only aid in the bounce-back year.

Madubuike remains the wild card due to his neck injury and needing surgery. Both DeCosta and head coach Jesse Minter have not revealed too much about his return, but the Baltimore general manager finally revealed when news of his return to the team will be announced.

"I'm excited about where Nnamdi is, and I think we'll have more information in the coming weeks, like in the next two weeks. I think we'll have a lot more information that we'll be able to share with people," DeCosta said.

There has been a big focus on the defense thus far through this offseason, as the Ravens added Trey Hendrickson and Calais Campbell to a unit that already has All-Pro talent in Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton.

Should Buchanan and Madubuike be ready to play in the first half of the 2026 season, the defense should see an even bigger jump.