Analyst: Ravens Worried About Last Offensive Question

The Baltimore Ravens have three new starters on their offensive line this season.

Baltimore Ravens offensive linemen Corey Bullock (67) and Darrian Dalcourt (76) run through a drill during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a stacked AFC, one glaring weakness can be the difference between a team winning their division or having to claw for one of the Wild Card berths in the playoffs.

If there's one potential flaw one could pinpoint for the Baltimore Ravens, it would be their offensive line, as they're tasked with the unenviable task of adding three new starters. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel spoke on Fox Sports show The Facility about the Ravens' situation in the trenches on offense and gave a far from ringing endorsement on the state of their offensive line and noted how their play is tied to the health of quarterback and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

"If Lamar Jackson is healthy, he's 64-28," Daniel said. "Without Lamar, they are 4-10. Speaking to some people in the building internally this morning, they're a little worried about that offensive line."

Daniel played 13 years in the NFL, including three seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Baltimore will be replacing left guard John Simpson and right tackle Morgan Moses, both of whom are on the New York Jets, and right guard Kevin Zeitler who signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency. All three players were instrumental in the Ravens leading the league in rushing yards per game and ranking fourth in points per game last season.

The lone returning starters are former All-Pro and Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum.

In their place will seemingly be 2023 7th-round pick Andrew Vorhees at left guard, 2022 4th-round pick Daniel Faalele and veteran lineman Patrick Mekari, who has started in 36 games all across the offensive line in his career since being drafted by Baltimore in 2019. While there's reason to be wary of how the offensive line will perform, especially at the beginning of the season, offensive coordinator Todd Monken is confident in the revamped unit.

"I feel real good about those guys,"Monken said on Monday. "First off, every one of them, besides Andrew [Vorhees] at left guard, those guys have been with us – and Andrew was with us last year. They've had a great offseason [and] a great camp, so we're real comfortable with them playing. Excited to see them play; it's time to go play and see."

Jackson echoed Monken's praise of the offensive line and believes they're ready for the tall task of slowing down a Chiefs defense that was among the league's best last season. The Chiefs were second in sacks last season and in the AFC Championship Game, they sacked Jackson four times and hit him seven times in a 17-10 win over Baltimore.

"I'm very confident in our guys,"Jackson said on Sunday. "They've been busting their behinds each and every practice. [In the] preseason, they've been battling. I believe our guys [are] ready."

Baltimore opens the season on Thursday when it faces the Chiefs at 8:20 p.m. ET at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game.

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