The Baltimore Ravens are bracing for the start of the 2026 season.
After an offseason full of change, the team is hopeful it can become a contender once again. Baltimore has gone not only to a new regime but also to a whole new system.
With an offseason that appears to have fixed many of the problems that plagued them last year, the Ravens still have one big problem: kicking.
The Tyler Loop Problem
Baltimore selected Tyler Loop in the sixth round with the 186th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. After starting the season hot, going 7-7 and 14-15 on extra points through the first four weeks of the season, the Ravens looked like they found their replacement for former long-time kicker Justin Tucker.
But in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, the Ravens found a hole in his game that became a problem late in the year. Against Houston, he went 1-2 on field goals and missed his only attempt from 50 yards. A small hiccup that tends to happen from time to time with kickers who are expected to be almost perfect.
But as the season went on, Loop struggled with 50-plus-yard field goals. He ended the year going 1-4 from 50-plus yards. His struggle peaked at the end of the season, when he missed two field goals in the final three weeks; it came at the worst time. He missed a 44-yard game-winning field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which would have sent Baltimore to the playoffs.
Fans couldn’t get over his struggles from long range, a trait the team drafted him for after he kicked a 62-yard field goal at Arizona.
With how the season ended, many fans want him gone. Not only did he cost the Ravens their season, but his continued struggles from 50 yards hurt the team. Even though Loop finished the year 30-34 from field goals and 44-46 from extra points, many fans couldn’t get over his struggles from long range.
Even after the struggles and the demand to cut him, Baltimore stood by him. Baltimore had so much confidence in him, even after his struggles in his rookie year; they brought in no competition and decided to put all their eggs in one basket, hoping he could correct last year’s mistakes.
Year 2 Hopes
After gaining confidence in the offseason, Loop’s rebound season got off to another bad start when the team didn’t bring any competition, as he missed his first kick against the Philadelphia Eagles in their first preseason game. That marked Loop’s second straight miss, and many fans once again wanted the team to bring in a replacement.
Despite his early struggles, the team has once again rallied behind him and stuck with him through thick and thin. In the second preseason game, he had a much better performance, going 2-for-2 on kicks and raising his preseason mark to 3-for-4. Even though the Ravens have given Loop plenty of patience and trust, he’s their guy in the future.
Loop must realize that if he doesn’t have a bounce-back year once the regular season starts, his NFL career could be over before he knows it. Baltimore is entering year 2, gambling on Loop’s potential. He has to earn Baltimore’s trust.
Baltimore’s Risk Keeping Loop
Baltimore’s reluctance to move on from Loop isn’t just a gamble; it’s a risk that could determine their season. Kickers are always an afterthought of a position, and you never know you need one until it’s too late. Just look at Baltimore before Loop. Justin Tucker gave the Ravens something you don’t realize you had till it’s gone: the ability to be clutch in high-stress moments.
That’s something Loop is still learning as he enters his second year in the league. But when you play a position where you’re constantly under the most stress. Most players at the position don’t get a chance to learn from their failures. With kickers, they live on a razor-thin line, where they can either have the glory of making the game-winning kick or let the team and the fans down.
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