Lamar Jackson, Jesse Minter Discuss Ravens’ Center Need and Possible Fixes

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and head coach Jesse Minter spoke to the media on Wednesday about the team's open spot at center. Who are some of the candidates in-house and ones outside of the organization?

Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks to the field to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens are actively looking in-house for a starting center after losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. 

Linderbaum, 26, started in each of the 66 games that he played in four seasons with the Ravens – accounting for 4,114 snaps. He inked a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, worth up to $81 million with $60 million guaranteed. His signing bonus is $20 million.

According to first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, there are at least three players that are in contention for the starting center position.

Former Atlanta Falcons center Jovaughn Gwyn, second year player Corey Bullock and former Indianapolis Colts Danny Pinter are among the players on the roster. Undrafted free agent center Nick Dawkins is also fighting for a position with the team. Pinter, 29, is the most experienced with 77 games played and 10 career starts. Gwyn, 27, has appeared in 19 games and has yet to make a start in three seasons. Bullock, 24, hasn’t made a start in 16 games.

What Minter said about center

“But a lot of the positions where you might not have a super established guy, right now, it's an organization chart,” Minter said. “It's different guys getting work with different groups. Sometimes you want to see how a guy does with certain people next to him and then other certain people next to him the next practice. We just want to give those guys a bunch of different reps with our offense, a bunch of different reps with the different interior linemen that they're playing next to, different quarterbacks that they're handling, cadences and things like that. I think there's a multitude of positions where we're really trying to rotate a lot of pieces."

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has had the most continuity with Linderbaum as his center. Since 2022, the two-time Most Valuable Player could count on the former Iowa Hawkeye to be the commander of the offensive line and the two made 43 regular season starts together. With three new players in the fold for the starting job and one returning backup, Jackson will have to build trust with the new center.

"I feel like the guys upstairs do a great job bringing in people who we need,” Jackson said. “Like I said before, whatever it takes, man. Hopefully we get a guy who's willing to be the center, willing to lead the offensive line and do the job."

Could Baltimore Add To The Center Position?

Baltimore bolstered its interior offensive line with new additions in first-round rookie guard Olaivavega Ioane and adding guard John Simpson. Simpson, 28, has 72 starts in 86 games as a professional and will begin his second stint with the Ravens after spending the 2023 season with the team. Ioane, 22, was selected with the 14th pick of this year’s NFL Draft and played 44 games in four seasons with Penn State and held an 80 grade on Pro Football Focus (13th out of 686 guards).

Baltimore doesn’t have a great deal of experience at the center position. While the in-house candidates could be players that blossom in the near future, Baltimore can look outside of the Castle for assistance at center.

Option 1: Free Agent Center Ethan Pocic

Nov 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns center Ethan Pocic (55) walks off the field after the loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Pocic, 30, is 6-6, 320 pounds and has made 97 starts in 114 games played – all with the Cleveland Browns. He was in the middle of the pack for the 40 centers that were ranked by PFF with a 63.8 grade. Pocic was penalized twice in 2025 and allowed 14 pressures in pass protection, including two sacks and three quarterbacks hits allowed. Pocic had a 62.2 pass blocking grade (25th out of 40) and a 63.2 run blocking grade (23rd out of 40). 

Option 2: Free Agent Center Graham Glasgow

Detroit Lions guard Graham Glasgow (60) warms up ahead of the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, November 2, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Glasgow, 33, is 6-6, 315 pounds and is by far the most experienced option in free agency at the center position. He’s made 136 starts in 147 games with the Detroit Lions. However, Glasgow was penalized twice, allowed a sack, eight quarterback hits and 19 total pressures for a 61.3 pass blocking grade (26th out of 40) in 2025, per PFF. His run blocking grade sat at 54.3 (36th out of 40) and his total grade was ranked 33rd out of the 40 centers (56.8).

Comparing The Candidates

Player	2025 PFF Overall Grade	2025 PFF Pass Blocking Grade	2025 PFF Run Blocking Grade	2025 Snap Count
Tyler Linderbaum	80.2 (5th out of 40)	63.4 (22nd out of 40)	83.7 (4th out of 40)	1,008
Danny Pinter	56.5 (didn’t qualify)	60.9 (didn’t qualify)	53.9 (didn’t qualify)	139
Corey Bullock	Didn’t qualify	Didn’t qualify	Didn’t qualify	13
Jovaughn Gwyn	81.2 (didn’t qualify)	Didn't qualify	Didn't qualify	11
Ethan Pocic	63.8 (20th out of 40)	62.2 (25th out of 40)	63.2 (23rd out of 40)	825
Graham Glasgow	56.8 (33rd out of 40)	61.3 (26th out of 40)	54.3 (36th out of 40)	872