Ravens OT Gets First Rookie Moment

One of the Baltimore Ravens' top rookies had a rough first snap in the NFL.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten (73) against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten had a first snap to remember. Unfortunately, it's not for a good reason.

Rosengarten, the No. 62 overall pick in this year's draft took the field in the second quarter of last week's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs as part of a rotation with veteran Patrick Mekari. For his very first NFL snap, he was tasked with blocking Chiefs All-Pro Chris Jones, probably the best defensive tackle in the league today. It went about as badly as possible, as Jones blew right by Rosengarten to sack quarterback Lamar Jackson and force a fumble deep in Ravens territory.

It's now been a week since that game, and Rosengarten has had time to reflect and move forward after a poor first rep.

"Everyone has their rookie moment," Rosengarten said, per the Ravens' site. "Obviously, you don't want to start the game how I started, but I'm just turning the negative into a positive. I'm only going up from here."

Rosengarten played 20 snaps throughout the game to Mekari's 60. The veteran may have the edge, but the rotation is still alive and well, as head coach John Harbaugh revealed earlier this week.

At the same time, the Ravens are still confident in the rookie's ability. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken believes Rosengarten will be a "heck of a player" sooner or later, while offensive line coach George Warhop recognized that it's simply part of the developmental process.

"It was just a tough situation," Warhop told reporters Thursday. "It was an unusual look, and again, this is something we didn't expose [Roger Rosengarten] to. If he was a veteran, we would expect him to handle that a little bit better, but he's a rookie, and he settled it how he thought he should have, and he didn't let Daniel [Faalele] help him enough, so that happens."

Rosengarten is the Ravens' future at right tackle, and while he's still a work in progress, they believe the upside is well worth it.

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