Bradley Bozeman 'In The Conversation' to Move to Center
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There has been speculation the Ravens will shift Bradley Bozeman from left guard to center for the 2021 season.
Bozeman made 31 career starts at center for Alabama and it would be a natural transition in the Ravens offense.
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh was coy about those plans this past week.
“The good thing about Bradley, just starting with that, is he’s versatile," Harbaugh said at the Ravens pre-draft press conference. "He can play left guard, or for us, center. He played center at Alabama. So, I’d say he’s in the conversation for both those two spots. He’s proven himself as a starter and we’re excited about him.
"As far as where we’re at, we’re in the process. We have the Draft, we still have free agent possibilities – that question was asked earlier. And guys are competing. We have guys who will be fighting for those jobs. So, we’ll see how all that comes together for us. I’m very confident we’re going to have a great offensive line next year.”
One of the Ravens' goals this offseason is to have more consistent performances from the center position. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had to deal with some errant snaps that proved to be costly.
This past season, Baltimore had ongoing challenges at the center position. Matt Skura lost his starting job midway through the season because of deficient snaps, but his replacement, Patrick Mekari, also had some struggles.
In the divisional round of the AFC playoffs against the Buffalo Bills, Mekari sailed a snap over Jackson's head near the end of the third quarter. Jackson suffered a concussion trying to retrieve the ball near his own end zone.
In addition, the Ravens could turn back to the Crimson Tide to find Bozeman's replacement at guard with Landon Dickerson, who is projected to be a Day 3 pick. Just like Bozeman, Dickerson has the size — 6-foot-6, 326 pounds — to create matchup problems and has the versatility to play both guard and center.
Undrafted rookie Trystan Colon-Castillo showed solid potential in limited action and he was re-signed this offseason.'
In addition, the Ravens could turn back to the Crimson Tide to find Bozeman's replacement at guard with Landon Dickerson, who is projected to be a Day 3 pick. Just like Bozeman, Dickerson has the size — 6-foot-6, 326 pounds — to create matchup problems and has the versatility to play both guard and center.
Still, Bozeman remains the best option at starting center.
