Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddy Buchanan had his 2025 NFL season ended in the latter weeks of last year’s team campaign. Buchanan’s ACL tear definitely put a strain on the team’s run defense, which struggled against the powerhouse teams like the New England Patriots, heading into the postseason. The disheartening missed kick by Ravens kicker Tyler Loop in week 18 also reinforces negative feelings, but hints at a broader notion: a narrative of recurring shortcomings in the Ravens’ season. Certainly, defensive tackle Nmandi Madubuike was missed, but the Ravens still showed signs of having the ability to stop the run when Buchanan was in the lineup. The question is, how will Buchanan perform under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver?
“I was trying to be what I thought an NFL player was,” Buchanan said about his settling into a starting role. “But I realized eventually, ‘Teddye, you just gotta be you.’ I realized I am good enough and I deserve to be here.”
Buchanan is walking again and “living a normal life,” he said via the Baltimore Sun. That means he’s still on schedule to be ready as soon as training camp this summer.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 30: Teddye Buchanan #40 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 30, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Inside linebacker Roquan Smith is still going to be the head honcho on the team defense, but Buchanan is undoubtedly coming into his own. The blitz packages that Weaver will now be able to deploy with Buchanan and the newly signed defensive end Trey Hendrickson should reignite nirvana at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Ravens fans were accustomed to relishing the success of their stellar defensive units, and it isn’t to say the team didn’t show signs of it last season. Yet if the Ravens can get back to sacking and pressuring opposing quarterbacks, this should improve their pass defense, which was ranked near the bottom of the NFL at the start of last season.
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Buchanan will need intensive therapy to recalibrate his lower body and return to form. Weaver will look to deploy Buchananan against speedy pass-catching tight ends and running backs on passing downs. Yet it’s Buchanan’s deployability that makes him an essential piece of the Ravens’ second level of defense.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens LB Teddye Buchanan is on track to return from a torn ACL
