As we get set for training camp, we’re exploring five questions surrounding the Ravens.
Our final topic: How will the offensive line come together?
Who gets the Week 1 start?
It’s no secret that there’s a ton of uncertainty around the Ravens offensive line. Tyler Linderbaum will anchor the group in the middle, and Ronnie Stanley is going to be the Week 1 starter at left tackle, but there’s nothing solidified beyond that.
Andrew Vorhees seems like the favorite at left guard, but he’s coming off a redshirt season after tearing his ACL. The 2023 seventh-round pick hasn’t played an NFL game yet and it’s been well over a year since he saw game action, but the Ravens are high on him.
The other two spots are seemingly wide open. Second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten could win the starting right tackle job, but Daniel Faalele and veteran Josh Jones will get looks there, too. Entering a critical fourth season, Ben Cleveland could start at right guard, but he’ll have to beat out Faalele, Jones, and Sala Aumavae-Laulu.
When pads come on in training camp, the Ravens should get a better idea of how the line will shape out. For Head Coach John Harbaugh, he wants to know sooner rather than later.
“It would be nice if we could kind of [know] by the first into the second week of training camp, [that] would be a goal to have a good idea,” Harbaugh said. “If it goes into the [preseason] games, it could go into the preseason games, but maybe just one spot up for grabs or something like that. That would be OK, but the sooner the better.”
What if no one separates themselves?
The Ravens have expressed their confidence that the starters are already on the roster but if the preseason is almost over and there are still lingering questions, there are a few ways they could go.
Using Patrick Mekari as a starter is one option. Baltimore likes him as a super-sub who can play all five positions, but he could step in if there are any major holes on the line.
“In my eyes, he’s a starter, but he’s in the position where he can play multiple positions, and that’s the role that we’d like to see him in right now,” Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris said. “… It’s not that he can’t start, it’s just that we see the versatility and the benefit of that opportunity. There are not many guys in the NFL that can play center, both guards and tackle.”
There are still options available in free agency, but they’re unsigned for a reason. However, the Ravens have had success developing lower-cost offensive linemen like last year’s starting left guard John Simpson.
General Manager Eric DeCosta will monitor potential cap casualties as teams whittle their roster down to 53. Trading for a veteran ahead of the season is always a possibility as well.
Can Stanley return to All-Pro form?
At one point Stanley was one of the best left tackles in the NFL, but injuries have hampered his last few seasons. Last season he played 13 games but wasn’t fully healthy and struggled anchoring in pass protection.
Having an elite blindside blocker is always great, but with so many question marks elsewhere on the line, Stanley getting back to a Pro Bowl level would be massive for Baltimore.
“I feel great,” Stanley said earlier this offseason. “I feel like I’m as strong and as quick and as athletic as I’ve ever been.
“There’s zero doubt in my head. If I’m playing the way I need to be playing, to my standard, I’m the best tackle in my head.”