Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike Practices Fully Ahead of Cowboys Game in Brazil

Baltimore's defensive tackle was a full practice participant for the first time this season, putting him in position for a possible 2026 debut Sunday against Dallas in Rio de Janeiro.

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike took a significant step in his recovery on Wednesday, practicing in full for the first time this season. Madubuike has spent more than a year working back from a neck injury and was eased back in gradually during training camp.

The full practice puts Madubuike in position to possibly make his 2026 debut on Sunday, when the Ravens face the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3. Baltimore has not made a final decision on whether he will play, but his progression has encouraged the team's defensive staff.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who has tracked Madubuike's recovery through the offseason and early season, came away pleased with what he saw. "He looks like the Nnamdi I've always known," Weaver said, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley.

Madubuike and linebacker Teddye Buchanan both practiced fully Wednesday. Neither was placed on injured reserve to open the season, leaving open the possibility of returns within the first four games. Madubuike has a chance to get back on the field before Baltimore's Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

A Pro Bowl selection in each of the past two seasons, including a 13-sack campaign in 2023, Madubuike would add an interior pass-rushing presence to a Ravens defense coming off a loss to the New Orleans Saints in which it failed to generate enough pressure and could not close out the game.

The challenge gets no easier in Brazil, where Dallas fields an offense led by Dak Prescott with receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Madubuike's return would give Baltimore another option to disrupt the pocket from the inside and potentially free up teammates along the defensive front.