The Ravens have a conceit regarding their abilities to choose and nurture players. It is, for the most part, well-deserved. Currently, more players on 90-man rosters around the league were originally signed by the Ravens than by any other team, and the difference is not all that great.
That is something to be extremely proud of for Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta and his predecessor, Ozzie Newsome, as well as the coaching and personnel staffs of the team. It is a monument to their talent-spotting abilities and the organization’s capacity to nurture them.
That is given the Ravens’ leadership team and every member of the organization unmatched confidence in their approach to doing things. Buck Showalter, the former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, liked to declare, “We like our people,” so much so that the franchise used it as a marketing slogan.
The Ravens, too, like their guys. Love them, in fact.
They have been bragging to everyone who will listen about how confident they are in their young offensive linemen for the past few months. They have not added anything noteworthy to their offensive line since selecting offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten in the second round of the NFL Draft in April, and their actions support that narrative. This summer, they lost three starters—guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson and right tackle Morgan Moses—and gained just one outside player, provided Rosengarten is selected for the position.
Cutdown day is August 27, so there is always a chance that changes and the Ravens add a player upfront, but it is not like there are any excellent NFL offensive lineman stumbling around searching for work.
It is possibly the best example of a position where there is not enough talent to suit the 32 teams in the league, after quarterback.
DeCosta and company’s next move on this front will probably be improving the depth of the offensive line. The Ravens have legitimate concerns about three starting offensive line spots, and while this focus is unavoidable, it seems less important in light of the potentially larger issue: two and a half weeks before they travel to play the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s regular-season opener.
I’m guessing Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo have noticed.
It is also likely even more telling that none of those questions—at least not yet—affect their star center Tyler Linderbaum, who is out for the season due to a neck injury, or veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who has missed games for five straight seasons and is coming off a season in which he hardly even hinted at his previous level of play.
The Ravens used possibly three-fifths of their starting offensive line in their 13–12 preseason victory over the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. The victory was sealed when outside linebacker Tavius Robinson stopped a go-ahead two-point conversion attempt with 36 seconds remaining.
From the sidelines, Stanley and Linderbaum observed as Andrew Vorhees, who has been playing left guard all summer, took the field; Daniel Faalele, who has been playing right guard as well, started again; and Rosengarten was selected to start at right tackle. Patrick Mekari, who began at center on Saturday and is versatile, lost his position to him quite recently.
We will not get too technical here a few hours after the game because it takes time and tape to evaluate offensive line play fairly and completely. However, there were a few glaringly evident instances when investigation is unavoidable, especially when head coach of the Ravens John Harbaugh kept several of his projected starting offensive linemen in action far into the third quarter.
“There were some good plays and some bad plays,” Harbaugh said. “Until you see the tape, you really don’t know.”
Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum’s neck injury has been a major storyline for the team this summer. (Rob Carr / Getty Images)
Ruke Orhorhoro gave Vorhees a rough sack on Josh Johnson on the fifth play from scrimmage, forcing Baltimore to punt. Ben Cleveland, who has been playing center while Linderbaum is out and who, surprisingly, has not had much of a look for either of the guard openings, hit an unwary Johnson with a snap back, ending the Ravens’ third drive. The loose ball was recorded by the Falcons.
Then a pattern emerged: the team was not pushing the run game against a Falcons defense that was playing without many of its starters. With just 30 carries for 71 yards of total rushing, the Ravens averaged a pitiful 2.4 yards per carry. The longest carry of the day for Baltimore was eight yards.
In the first half, the Ravens had six rushes for 0 or negative yards. Five more rushes yielded gains of one or two yards. The running backs have not had much luck in numerous instances. The Ravens’ backs this preseason averaged just 1.08 yards before contact, according to TruMedia. That is not ideal.
Naturally, some context is necessary. The team’s top two running backs, Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, along with quarterback Lamar Jackson, have not played in the preseason. The addition of Jackson and Henry will surely transform the Ravens’ running game and improve the offensive line’s appearance. Stanley and Linderbaum, two of the top centers in the game already, will also be helpful.
Additionally, the Ravens are not exactly delving deeply into Todd Monken’s playbook. They are doing their best to keep things simple.
Additionally, a developing process is necessary, and now is the ideal moment to start it. The seventh-round pick in 2023, Vorhees, had to miss his whole rookie campaign while recovering from a knee ailment. Thus, he is now practically a novice. Rosengarten’s NFL career has lasted less than four months. Faalele, a converted tackle selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, is spending a lot of time playing inside for the first time in his career.
“Some good, some awful” is how Faalele evaluated his play on Saturday, and similar statement may also be made about the other offensive linemen. This summer’s growing pains in practices and games were understandable, but the situation became even more difficult when it was revealed that offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris—who is renowned for his ability to mentor and develop young offensive linemen—will be sidelined for the duration of his recovery from a “acute illness.”
George Warhop, an experienced offensive line coach, was hired by the Ravens, and he will now have to acclimate to a new bunch of players as they assume their new duties.
The clock is ticking.
“I feel like the more we play together, the more we mesh,” Faalele said.
Faalele is the biggest unknown in a lot of ways. He is 380 pounds and six feet eight, so he might be a mauler. However, going inside will force him to use his hands more and react more quickly. For the amiable Australian, this summer has seemed like a learning experience almost every day.
Of the prospective three new offensive line starters, Vorhees most likely has the greatest floor. He have the intelligence to go along with his strength as one of the team’s players already. After sitting out the entire previous season, he only needs reps. This summer, Vorhees has undoubtedly produced far more good than bad.
Rosengarten is another player who has performed admirably and exuded the nervousness of a Day 1 starter. To prevent some of the most formidable edge rushers in the league from getting close to his two-time league MVP quarterback, he must demonstrate that he already possesses sufficient play strength.The Ravens clearly believe he’s capable, and they’ve been right in their evaluations of their own players far more often than they are. To be clear, they deserve the benefit of the doubt here.
However, nothing could deflate high expectations for the season faster than the top quarterback being under constant pressure and the big addition to the running back class in the offseason getting hit in the backfield.
The Ravens had better be right when they say they have the appropriate players to stop that.
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
