Jesse Minter Announces Jovaughn Gwyn as Ravens’ New Starting Center

Ever since the Baltimore Ravens got outbid by the Las Vegas Raiders in their attempt to retain homegrown three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, finding an adequate, if not comparable replacement for him became one of their top priorities.

The front office did not pursue one of the other top available free agents at the position in the early waves of free agency and opted not to take one with one of their 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on one after their top two plug-and-play prospects came off the board much earlier than they had anticipated.

When the Ravens signed 10th-year veteran Ethan Pocic, who has nearly 100 career starts under his belt, at the onset of training camp, it was widely assumed that they'd finally got their guy. However, the coaching staff remained adamant that it would remain an open competition, and they meant it.

After initial frontrunner Danny Pinter went down with a season-ending torn patellar tendon in their first joint practice session, it gave fourth-year pro Jovaughn Gwyn a chance to compete in earnest, and he didn't let the opportunity go to waste.

Last week, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle told reporters that the Ravens' decision on their next starting center was imminent before he fielded any questions during his Monday press conference as the team prepares for next Sunday's regular season opener, head coach Jesse Minter proclaimed Gwyn the victor of the competition.

"[I] got a lot of confidence in him," Minter said. "This is a guy that I think, when opportunity knocks, are you ready to take advantage, and he's done a really good job. He's obviously repped a lot with our starters over the last couple of weeks."

Gwyn has been taking the bulk of the reps with the first team offense in practice since Pinter went down and started the Ravens' second and third preseason games, receiving frontrunner treatment in both, only playing the first few offensive series.

However, when the offense trots onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Ravens' first possession against the Indianapolis Colts, it will mark the first regular-season start of Gywn's young career. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, he only saw the field for 11 offensive snaps in his first three seasons combined.

During that time, he was being developed and groomed for an opportunity like this by the Ravens' new offensive line coach and run game coordinator, Dwayne Ledford, who served in the same roles for the Falcons and has a history of turning projects into quality starters with Pro Bowl potential. Only time will tell if Gwyn will go on to be the next Drew Dalman, but for now, he has his first chance to be the anchor of an offense with a pair of Hall of Famers in the backfield: quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.

"[Gwyn] came in obviously with a lot of experience with coach Ledford and some things schematically that carry over to kind of how we're playing now," Minter said. "I think there's a lot of familiarity there with some of the terminology in the run game and things like that.

"He came here knowing that there was an opportunity and has been in the competition all the way back from the second he signed, and he has just taken advantage of getting a lot of reps. He's been training for this moment for the last few years under these o-line coaches that we have."

Nothing is set in stone and is subject to change

Baltimore Ravens center Ethan Pocic blocks during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. — Aug 28, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens center Ethan Pocic (77) blocks during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just because Gwyn is opening the season as the successor to Linderbaum, there's no guarantee that he'll remain in that starting role for the entirety of the season. Minter made that abundantly clear.

"I would say that's a Week 1 decision, not necessarily a permanent decision," Minter said. "Obviously, we know what Ethan is capable of. He's still coming back from the injury, but we got a lot of confidence as a staff in Jovaughn as a team, and excited to see him get this first opportunity."

The aforementioned injury that Pocic is still working his back to full strength from is a torn Achilles tendon he suffered as a starter for the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 last season in early December. His lengthy recovery from the setback was the biggest reason he remained on the open market until mid-July, when he signed with the Ravens. If Gwyn's play falters below an acceptable threshold at any point, they're confident in Pocic's ability to step in and step up.

"I think we have two really, really capable centers," Minter said. "Obviously, one has a lot of experience and [is] probably more proven, but is also coming off of a major injury, and that at times has sort of limited the competition a little bit, and so for Week 1, we believe this gives us the best opportunity to operate and do the things we need to do."

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