In a normal season, the Baltimore Ravens not trading for edge rusher Maxx Crosby might not affect the Indianapolis Colts, but in 2026, it will. Indy needs to steal as many wins as it can to make the postseason, and Baltimore and Crosby are on the schedule next season.
The Ravens traded the Las Vegas Raiders two first-round picks in return for Crosby. That, in fact, makes Indy general manager Chris Ballard look even worse for something he did last season, but we will get to that.
Baltimore, just like the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, isn't waiting on moves this offseason that could reshape their future. Instead, they have either changed over their coaching staff, traded for likely impactful players, or both. Meanwhile, Indianapolis just waits.
Ravens adding Maxx Crosby makes the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 season tougher
One might safely assume that Baltimore, Houston, and Tennessee, at least the way they are doing business this offseason, wouldn't have waited to aggressively try to get quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce to work out long-term deals, had those two players been elsewhere instead of with the Colts. Meanwhile, Ballard waited.
As far as next season, the Ravens should be instantly improved with the addition of Crosby, simply from a pass-rush standpoint. Baltimore ranked 28th in pressure percentage and sacks this past season, and its latest addition should increase those numbers for the better.
Crosby is also excellent against the run, so he will impact his new defense in multiple ways. The Ravens' new head coach, Jesse Minter, was previously a defensive coordinator, so one can bet he already has an idea or five for how to use Crosby in the team's scheme.
Baltimore was beginning to lag a bit under former head coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a good coach, but things tend to go stale when a coach has held the same NFL job for nearly two decades. The Ravens wanted a culture reset and have been aggressive in their attempt to do that. Meanwhile, again...the Colts wait.
Indianapolis hasn't made the postseason since 2020, but it probably needs to for Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen to keep their jobs beyond next season. Ballard has been the GM for nine seasons so far, and his team has only made the postseason twice in that time. Steichen has yet to lead his team to the playoffs in three years.
The schedule isn't easy in 2026, though, and hosting the Baltimore Ravens with Maxx Crosby at Lucas Oil Stadium next season isn't going to make for an easy game. It might be a must-win, but Crosby alone might keep that from happening.
To make the whole situation worse, Baltimore only had to give those two first-round picks for a player who plays at one of the three or four most important positions in football: Edge rusher.
Ballard, however, gave the New York Jets two first-round selections plus a young receiver in return for Sauce Gardner this past season. Gardner is a cornerback, and that is an important spot too, but not as much as edge.