The Ravens re-signed four exclusive rights free agents last week, including offensive lineman Corey Bullock and defensive tackle C.J. Okoye, who both spent the 2025 season on the active roster.
The NFL uses two different season designations that impact players’ contract status: accrued and credited. An accrued season is one in which a player is on the 53-man roster, injured reserve, or physically unable to perform list for at least six regular season games. A credited season has the same roster requirements,
but for at least three regular season or postseason games.
Exclusive rights free agents are players with fewer than three accrued seasons with an expired contract. They can be retained by their most recent team on a one-year contract for a veteran-minimum salary (which is determined by credited) seasons. That non-guaranteed price point typically incentivizes teams to keep all of their ERFAs, though sometimes a new coaching staff opts to go in a different direction.
The Ravens, though, retained all of their pending ERFAs, who will all receive one-year, $1.005 million contracts, per OverTheCap. They are:
OL Corey Bullock
Bullock, 24, signed in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2024. After a year on the practice squad, he beat out 2024 sixth-rounder Nick Samac for a 53-man roster spot as the backup center. In 80 preseason snaps at center, Bullock earned a 74.7 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus and did not allow a single quarterback pressure. During the regular season, the Gwyn Falls native suited up for 16 games with 13 snaps on offense and 55 on special teams during the regular season.
With Tyler Linderbaum now in Las Vegas, Bullock would be the Ravens’ starting center if the season started tomorrow. The ranks of available free agents at the position has thinned, but Baltimore will likely add another center in April’s draft to compete with Bullock over the summer.
DT C.J. Okoye
Okoye was born in Nigeria and made his way to the NFL via the International Player Pathway program. He first signed with the Chargers in 2023 and spent two years on their practice squad before making his way to Baltimore in 2025. After early-season injuries to Broderick Washington and Nnamdi Madubuike, Okoye entered the game day defensive line rotation and was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster in October. He finished the season with 15 tackles (one for loss), one pass defended, and one quarterback hit in 13 games and 214 snaps.
With a 6-foot-6, 370-pound frame, Okoye has immense physical potential but has to improve his technique for more consistent results. A roster spot in 2026 is no guarantee if Madubuike and Washington are back in the fold, especially since the Ravens also re-signed John Jenkins. New defensive line coach Lou Esposito will work to develop Okoye into a more well-rounded player during spring and summer practices. He will likely be designated with a roster exemption as an international player, allowing him to be the 91st member of the active roster in the offseason and 17th of the practice squad during the season.
WR Dayton Wade
Wade received some hype as an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi in 2024, but he has yet to crack the active roster or see any regular-season playing time. He averaged 2.06 yards per route run in his first two preseasons (via PFF), but his 5-foot-9 frame is a clear obstacle to a roster spot in a receiving room that already features Zay Flowers and LaJohntay Wester.
LB Carl Jones Jr.
The Ravens claimed Jones off waivers in December and used him on special teams for the last four games of the regular season. The former UCLA Bruin originally signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and spent his rookie year on the practice squad with one appearance on special teams. Jones did not make Chicago’s 53-man roster out of training camp in 2025, but he was promoted from the practice squad in September and served as a core special teams contributor for nine games. The 24-year-old did not stand out on special teams in Baltimore but with Teddye Buchanan and Chandler Martin recovering from torn ACLs, he may have a narrow path to making the roster this summer.
