Tyler Linderbaum was the tip of the spear for Baltimore’s offense, a three-time Pro Bowler who anchored an offensive line that ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 156.6 yards. He was the kind of player franchises build around for a decade. The Ravens no longer have him.
Linderbaum signed a three-year, $81 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, shattering the center market and blowing past the previous record held by the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey at $18 million per year. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta compared the situation to bidding on a house he could never afford: “I was never going to get that house because the other people had more money to spend.
Baltimore tried to patch the guard position by drafting Penn State’s Vega Ioane 14th overall, widely regarded as the best guard prospect since Quenton Nelson. Ioane didn’t surrender a sack or commit a holding penalty over the past two seasons at Penn State and is expected to step into the starting lineup immediately. But the center spot remains wide open.
Ravens’ Center Competition Features Players With Almost No NFL Experience
As of now, Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, and Corey Bullock are competing to fill the void left by Linderbaum. The options are thin. Bullock has logged just 13 regular-season offensive snaps in his NFL career. Gwyn, who has a familiarity advantage after playing under new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford in Atlanta, has appeared in just 11 total snaps across three seasons. Pinter brings the most experience at 77 career games, but has only 10 starts to his name.
Lamar Jackson was sacked 36 times last season, with much of that pressure coming up the middle, a troubling figure that makes the center question more than a depth chart footnote. The Ravens can move guard Andrew Vorhees inside, and veteran free agents like Ryan Kelly and Ethan Pocic remain available, but Baltimore has yet to add a proven answer.
The Ravens acknowledge the center question remains unsettled, with head coach Jesse Minter saying it has not yet been determined where Ioane will line up, and that the starting center decision will follow later in the summer. With a new coaching staff, a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle, and Jackson entering a pivotal season, getting that answer right matters more than ever.
