Will Ravens Struggle In Pass Protection With Revamped Offensive Line?
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens got bigger and more physical with an overhauled offensive line this offseason.
General manager Eric DeCosta knows that improving the beleaguered passing game starts with getting better upfront and protecting quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“I think one of the things we have to do is get better upfront with pass protection," DeCosta said. "Losing Ronnie Stanley was definitely a tough deal for the offensive line to handle. Orlando did a great job, and I think the offensive line, in general, really battled versus some adversity this year.
"But pass protection is going to be a factor. I think that having an OTA this year if we can, more practice time would be a big thing. We’ve got some young receivers that would benefit from more practice time, and OTAs, and an offseason. We’ll look at the personnel as well. There are a lot of different ways that we can do that."
The Ravens starting offensive line could be one of the biggest and more physical in the NFL next season.
The starting lineup could be:
- Left Tackle Ronnie Stanley (6-6, 315 pounds)
- Left Guard Ben Cleveland (6-6, 357 pounds)
- Center Bradley Bozeman (6-5, 325 pounds)
- Right Guard Kevin Zeitler (6-4, 315 pounds)
- Right Tackle Alejandro Villanueva (6-9, 320 pounds)
Both Zeitler and Villanueva were signed as free agents. The team selected Cleveland in the third round of this year's draft. Bozeman will make the natural transition from left guard to center, a position he played at Alabama. Stanley is expected to recover from his season-ending ankle injury.
Despite the additions, Seth Walder, of ESPN, predicts the Ravens will still have some struggles in pass protection. He ranked Baltimore 14th in his projection of the NFL's best and worst pass-projecting offensive lines.
The Cleveland Browns are ranked No. 1.
"It's shocking to see Baltimore so low on this list," Walder wrote. "And make no mistake, this has nothing to do with Stanley, who not only finished fourth in [pass block win rate] in 2019 but was leading the category through Week 8 when he was injured last season. It's the three newcomers who drag down this unit. Particularly Villanueva, who looks like a significant downgrade from Orlando Brown Jr. in pass protection (though Villanueva did have a slightly higher run block win rate than Brown last season)."
The Ravens players are more confident in the offensive line than Walder.
"The offensive line for the Ravens, the way that they’re coached, and the attitude that they have has been something that has been respected in the AFC North ever since I’ve been playing in the NFL," Villanueva said. "I know that [former Steelers offensive line and current Broncos offensive line] Coach [Mike] Munchak had a lot of admiration for the way that they ran zone schemes. So, if anything, I feel a bigger responsibility to make sure that what you’re saying, this new revamped offensive line, is something that can come to fruition.”
