Overview

• In Week 2, Buchanan started in a 41-17 win over the Browns, logging 60 defensive snaps to Trenton Simpson’s 15 and finishing with six tackles after a near-even split in Week 1.
• Head coach John Harbaugh said Buchanan is playing “really solid football,” noting he is in the right places with room to keep improving.
• He became the first Day 3 Ravens defender to start within his first two games since safety Dawan Landry in 2006, underscoring his rapid ascent.
• His rookie education has included a Week 1 coverage lapse that allowed a 29-yard completion to TE Jackson Hawes, followed by on-field accountability and continuing mentorship from Roquan Smith, who also organized a defensive dinner after the loss.
• Buchanan’s path runs from a high-school thumb injury that moved him from quarterback to linebacker to UC Davis and then Cal, where he posted 114 tackles and 12 TFLs in 2024 before an elite combine (RAS 9.41) helped make him a fourth-round pick in April.