The offensive line that helped pave the way for the NFL’s leading rushing attack and another league Most Valuable Player season for Lamar Jackson suddenly has a lot of holes — and not the kind Baltimore’s $260 million quarterback and his teammates usually run through.
With the Ravens choosing to not extend the contract of right guard Kevin Zeitler, who battled significant knee and quad injuries in 2023, left guard John Simpson also set to become a free agent and starting tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses slowed by injuries and age, it’s clear what the biggest needs are for Baltimore.
The only sure thing up front is Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. Other than the 23-year-old 2022 first-round draft pick out of Iowa, there are questions all across the group, including whether to cut Moses and/or Stanley, both of whom struggled to stay on the field because of injuries and performance. They’ll turn 33 and 30, respectively, next month and releasing both would open up $15 million in salary cap space for a team that could use some —even with a $30 million jump to $255.4 million per club for 2024.
Baltimore has some options in-house, but not enough, so general manager Eric DeCosta and company will look to free agency and more importantly the draft to fill out the offensive line. This week in Indianapolis, they’ll get an up-close look at the next generation of prospects at the NFL scouting combine, with defensive linemen and linebackers working out Thursday; defensive backs and tight ends Friday; quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs Saturday; and offensive linemen Sunday.
The Ravens don’t pick until No. 30 overall in the first round and a standout offensive linemen is rarely available that late, but it’s not impossible they’ll find one.
“It’s a loaded tackle class,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “There’s 10, 11 guys that are really interesting. I think we’ll see a bunch of starters, a bunch of Day 1 starters out of that tackle group.”
Among them: Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Arizona’s Jordan Morgan and Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher.
In that group, only Morgan, who suffered a torn ACL in 2022, played left tackle, with the others playing on the right side. As for what they bring, Jeremiah noted that Guyton (6-foot-7, 327 pounds) and Mims (6-7, 340) are physical “freaks” but “a little bit raw.” He also said that Morgan has the versatility to start inside at guard before kicking back out, similar to Fisher.
Having to wait until the 30th pick also means potentially opting for the best player available, a strategy DeCosta and the Ravens have often employed in the past.
But with needs at several positions, that pick could be one in the same.
Outside linebackers Jadevon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy are free agents, Tyus Bowser is a possible salary cap cut, Odafe Oweh has yet to prove his consistency and David Ojabo is coming off knee surgery. The Ravens also have a handful of cornerbacks who are scheduled to become free agents, including Ronald Darby and Arthur Maulet, while incumbent starter Marlon Humphrey struggled on the outside at times and appeared in just 10 games because of injuries.
Baltimore’s backfield will likely look vastly different as well. J.K. Dobbins (who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 1), Gus Edwards and Dalvin Cook are all free agents, leaving Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell (who is just two months removed from ACL surgery) as the lone returning backs. The wide receiver group, meanwhile, gets thin quickly beyond Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and recently re-signed veteran Nelson Agholor. And then there’s the impending free agency of inside linebacker Patrick Queen and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
If the Ravens use the franchise tag on Madubuike, who led all interior defensive linemen with a career-high 13 sacks last season, it would cost about $22 million. It would also mean they likely wouldn’t be able to afford to keep Queen, creating a void alongside inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Last year’s third-round pick, Trenton Simpson, might not be ready to fill it just yet.
With all that in mind, another possibility with the 30th pick is Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson, a popular choice among draftniks.
The 6-foot-5, 286-pound Robinson played end and tackle during Senior Bowl practices, and his frame fits the kind of outside rushers the Ravens have historically gravitated toward. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller likened Robinson to New Orleans Saints veteran star Cameron Jordan. Baltimore would gladly take that considering Jordan has 117 1/2 sacks over 13 seasons, including at least 10 in a season on six occasions.
Still, given their myriad needs, there are a lot of directions the Ravens could go in the first round.
“In a perfect world there would be a pass rusher there because the front office has always valued the trenches in Round 1,” Miller told The Baltimore Sun. “But you could make an argument for cornerback or wide receiver in very deep classes, too. I fully expect a Power Five conference player at a core position (receiver, defensive end, cornerback) to be the pick in Round 1.”
Among some of the possibilities at cornerback: Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter, who had 37 tackles and eight passes defended, and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who had 35 tackles and four passes defended last season.
As for running back, the free agent market is filled with options, including Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs. The draft is also a deep one at the position, especially in the third and fourth rounds, which is why Baltimore could go the route of adding a veteran back — Tony Pollard could be another option if the Ravens prefer a more versatile back to a pure power runner — in addition to drafting one.
The Ravens have eight total draft picks (Nos. 30, 62, 93, 130, 163, 225 and 247), including a projected compensatory pick in the fourth round that will be finalized in early March after losing guard Ben Powers in free agency last offseason.
“It’s going to get talked about as a bad running back class because there’s not a first-round pick,” Miller said. “I actually think it’s a really good running back class. A lot of those players are going to get drafted, [No.] 75 to 250 is probably where they’re going to come off the board. There’s such great value.”
Among the possibilities in that group that Miller mentioned: Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen, Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Southern California’s MarShawn Lloyd, Oregon’s Bucky Irving and Clemson’s Will Shipley.
Put another way, the Ravens have options in the first round and beyond. The last time they had at least this many picks was just two years ago. That draft proved to be fruitful, with safety Kyle Hamilton, Linderbaum, Ojabo, offensive lineman Daniel Faalele and tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely all contributors.
While it’s unlikely Baltimore will match that haul, this year’s draft class is projected to be deep at positions the Ravens need to fill, including defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker and running back.
“The Ravens truly will use best available,” Jeremiah said. “They’ll take the best guy that’s there. If it happens to be a tackle, they’ll do it. If it’s another position, they won’t pass up talent.”
NFL scouting combine
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Monday through next Monday
TV: NFL Network
