Sept. 3, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Lafayette College graduate Malik Hamm is starting his third year in the National Football League on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.
Hamm, an outside linebacker, made the Ravens 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but spent the year on injured reserve. He came back last year, but wound up on IR again in 2024.
So far, he hasn’t taken the field in a regular-season game, but Ravens’ Coach John Harbaugh has spoken highly of Hamm. When on the roster, the two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year wore No. 59.
The Ravens are Hamm’s hometown team. He played high school football for Baltimore City College.
Lafayette’s last NFL player was Blake Costanzo, a linebacker who spent eight seasons in the league. He played for Buffalo, Chicago, San Francisco and Cleveland. Costanzo was a fan favorite at all his NFL stops because of his zeal for special-teams play.
NFL practice squads can carry 16 players plus one international player. In 2025, a practice squad player will make at least $13,000 per week, or $234,000 if they stay on the squad for the entire season, including the bye week.
Teams can bring up players from their squad to play in games, and practice players can be signed by other teams, but then must be placed on that team’s 53-man roster.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 