Albert Breer 'Truly Surprised' By Ravens' Handling of Offensive Line; Another Pundit Believes Ravens Could Miss Postseason Due To 'Offensive Line Issues'
The concern for the Ravens' offensive line continues as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer found the Ravens' approach to rebuilding the unit "truly surprising."
"If we're talking about things that were truly surprising, I'm gonna go with the Ravens' handling of their offensive line, something that's gone largely unnoticed because, well, people don't pay a lot of attention to this stuff," Breer wrote. "For now, the three new starters project to be Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland, and rookie Roger Rosengarten, who have seven career starts between them (all belonging to Cleveland). And while the Ravens have been a draft-and-develop machine over the years, and great at harvesting offensive linemen, this particular dice roll was pretty surprising, I thought."
Breer's concern led Sports Illustrated's Gilbert Manzano to believe the Ravens "might miss playoffs because of offensive line issues."
"Perhaps a dominant running game with veteran Derrick Henry will allow the retooled offensive line to develop a rhythm blocking for Lamar Jackson," Manzao wrote. "But do the Ravens have wide receivers who can get open quickly? Does the 30-year-old Henry still have plenty to offer on the field? Will the Ravens' defense be O.K. without former coordinator Mike Macdonald? All of these concerns, especially on the offensive line, could lead to a non-playoff season for the Ravens."
With comments like this, it's once more appropriate to harken back on NFL.com’s Kevin Patra's words.
"It's foolhardy to judge a Ravens roster until much closer to the start of the season. No one does a better job of continuing to find cheap, capable talent deep into the process than Baltimore's front office," Patra wrote.
The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker listed the offensive line among the winners of Ravens OTAs and minicamp.
"The offensive line en masse had nearly perfect attendance through the offseason program — not surprising given that three starting jobs and several backup roles are up for grabs," Wacker wrote. "The players also didn't disappoint."
There's still a long way to go in the Ravens' starting offensive line competition and more clarity, which will come during training camp, will likely change pundits' confidence level.
Seven Ravens Make CBS Sports Top 100 NFL Players of 2024
The (off)season of lists and ranking players has arrived and the first of many came from CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, who knew most will have a gripe about his rankings.
https://x.com/PriscoCBS/status/1802777981137424845
In all, Prisco put seven Ravens in his Top 100, tying the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions for second place, all behind the San Francisco 49ers with nine. However, where Prisco placed the reigning and two-time MVP is where things get questionable, with Jackson ranked No. 16 and fourth among quarterbacks.
"He won his second MVP last season, but the next step is getting his team to the Super Bowl," Prisco wrote. "He has improved greatly as a passer, which should continue this season in Year 2 under OC Todd Monken. (Last season: No. 35)"
The three quarterbacks ahead of Jackson are Patrick Mahomes (1), Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (6) and Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow (15).
Here are the rest of the Ravens:
No. 36: Kyle Hamilton, Safety
"He had his breakout season for a dominant Ravens defense in 2023. He can do a lot of things, which makes him so special. His versatility sets him apart from a lot of safeties in the league with his ability to rush, cover and play the run. (Last season: NR)"
