Ravens O-Line Has Different Expectations Now Than Later

The Baltimore Ravens' offensive line remains a work in progress, but one with strong upside in the future.

Baltimore Ravens offensive linemen Andrew Vorhees (72) and Ronnie Stanley (79) run through a drill during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Ray Nitschke Field in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

As the league's best rushing team, the Baltimore Ravens' offensive line obviously plays a huge part in their success. Thus, the decision to drastically overhaul the line this offseason has unsurprisingly dominated discussion for months now.

Baltimore moved on from three of last season's starters in left guard John Simpson, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Morgan Moses. Younger players have been competing to earn those starting spots, and while head coach John Harbaugh has made a final decision, don't expect an official announcement until Thursday's season opener.

From the moment the Ravens decided to get younger up front, they knew there'd be some bumps in the road. However, they believe the long-term upside more than justifies their decision.

"I think there's still a little bit of an unknown, because we haven't played as a unit in games – we've [only] seen it in practice," general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Thursday. "[I'm] excited about Roger [Rosengarten]. I'm excited about Andrew Vorhees. I'm excited for the future. We may have a couple of hiccups along the way, but I think we've started to build from the bottom up, and I think a year from now, we'll be in a great place."

The Ravens' offensive line has faced numerous challenges beyond the starting competition over the offseason. Last week, offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris tragically passed waway just after being hostitalized with an acute illness. There's no way to quantify the pain the Ravens felt from his loss, but at the very least, they found an experienced coach in George Warhop to step in during their hour of need.

Pro Bowl ceneter Tyler Linderbaum also missed a few weeks with a neck injury, though he returned to practice in a red no-contact jersey earlier this week. The team expects him to be good to go on Thursday.

"Tyler getting hurt early on in camp probably wasn't ideal," DeCosta said. "We're very excited to get him back, but not having a Pro Bowl center out there, that's kind of the guy that drives the car, in a lot of ways, on the offensive line. He's the guy that will typically adjust the offensive line and works hand in hand with the quarterback on things like protections and stuff. [It's] a very important position, and we're blessed to have one of the best guys in the league."

Baltimore's offensive line may be a work in progress, but they're willing to navigate the hurdles if the road is clear ahead.

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