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Jesse Minter Not Ready to Rule Out Ravens DT Namdi Madubuike for Week 1
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- Jesse Minter Not Ready to Rule Out Ravens DT Namdi Madubuike for Week 1
(Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
The Baltimore Ravens are heading into their Week 1 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts as a nearly fully healthy team. There are only two question marks regarding the roster , which are defensive tackle Nnadmi Madubuike and linebacker Teddye Buchanan .
Both are recovering from season-ending injuries, and neither was added to the IR (injured reserve) list to start the season, meaning the Ravens believe both would be back within four games. Now, it appears that head coach Jesse Minter is not ready to rule out either.
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Minter spoke to the media on Tuesday and revealed that the team left training camp "pretty healthy overall." The Baltimore head coach also made mention of both Madubuike and Buchanan.
Maudbuike will be involved in practice leading up to the game and will be included in team drills as well. This is a far cry from when he started training camp, as he did individual drills for months.
"It's just a process I would say. [ Nnamdi Madubuike ]'s been involved more and more just about every day. So, he'll be involved in practice this week, he'll be in team. He'll be doing things, and we'll kind of see how it shakes out as we get closer to see if it's even possible for Week 1," Minter said.
Buchanan appears to be in the same situation, as he has been ramping up in practice
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While Minter did not come out and say that the defensive tackle would be ready to play, he did surprisingly say that he is not prepared to rule anyone out for Week 1.
"I wouldn't rule any of those guys out for Week 1," Minter said of Madubuike and Buchanan.
Madubuike suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2 of the 2025 season. Initially, there was some fear that he would not play again, as neck injuries are often very serious for football players.
Buchanan, on the other hand, suffered a torn ACL at the end of the 2025 season. Though it can generally take a year or longer to recover from such an injury, he was removed from the PUP list, as was Madubuike.
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Getting both back for the start of the regular season would be huge for the Ravens' defense, as they are looking to bounce back from a very lackluster year.
As the week goes on, injury reports will start to come out, which will then point to how much both Madubuike and Buchanan are recovering and ready to go. If they are "doubtful" by the final injury report on Friday, they may not be ready to go.
Then again, Minter's confidence could point to both taking the field as the Ravens will face the Colts on Sunday.
