The news on Nnamdi Madubuike keeps trending in the right direction.
The Baltimore Ravens placed the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle on the "active physically unable to perform list" ahead of Wednesday's first training camp practice in Owings Mills — a procedural designation that keeps him off the field initially but signals the organization expects him back. And according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, the timeline could be short: Madubuike has been cleared to return to the field and could practice as early as next week.
"He's been cleared by independent spine and cervical doctors to return to field," Zrebiec reported Saturday. "He's on PUP to get reacclimated and for team to evaluate conditioning."
It is, by any measure, good news for a Ravens defense that has been waiting on this news for ten months.
Madubuike, 28, suffered a severe neck injury in Week 2 of the 2025 season that immediately put his career in doubt. Neither he nor the team has publicly disclosed the exact diagnosis, but the injury was serious enough to require neck surgery in April — a procedure that typically carries an uncertain return timeline and career implications that go beyond a typical football injury. When GM Eric DeCosta spoke in an interview with 105.7 The Fan about Madubuike earlier this month, he was careful with his language. "Nnamdi is a little bit more unclear," DeCosta said. "I think everything looks to be pointed in the right direction, but you're talking about a different kind of injury." The clearance from independent doctors is a significant development beyond what DeCosta described two weeks ago.
The stakes are high because of who Madubuike is to this defense. He earned Pro Bowl selections in 2023 and 2024, signed a four-year, $98 million extension in March 2024, and was the anchor of a defensive line that ranked among the best in the NFL. Losing him in Week 2 last season disrupted the entire front. His presence -- and ability if healthy -- would boost the key unit that added Trey Hendrickson in the offseason (and almost added Maxx Crosby).
Five other Ravens were also placed on the active PUP list ahead of camp: defensive tackles Travis Jones and John Jenkins, inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan, outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, and cornerback Bilhal Kone. Jones, who led Baltimore's defensive linemen with 47 tackles last season, signed a three-year extension late in 2025 and is expected back. Jenkins, 37, played all 16 games last year and logged more defensive snaps than any lineman except Jones. Buchanan tore his ACL in Week 15 of his rookie season; DeCosta called his rehab "top 1% of what I've seen in my time here" and said he expected him back sooner than Madubuike.
Players on the active PUP list can be activated at any point, unlike the reserve/PUP designation which keeps players out for at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Madubuike's placement on the active list rather than reserve is itself a signal — the Ravens expect to have him practicing before the preseason is over.
Training camp opens Wednesday in Owings Mills. Full Ravens schedule and training camp guide →