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Ravens Deserve Benefit of Doubt in Search For New Center

The Baltimore Ravens have proved that they are capable of finding solid to elite starters to anchor the interior of the offensive line through several avenues, especially when it comes to grooming homegrown talent.
Josh Reed|
Sep 28, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) waits for the snap from center Sam Hecht (75) against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) waits for the snap from center Sam Hecht (75) against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

There's no denying that the Baltimore Ravens were dealt a tough blow in free agency when the Las Vegas Raiders blew the top off the center market to lure three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum away from the team that drafted him and tried hard to retain him.

However, there was no way the Ravens were going to be able to match the average annual salary of $27 million that the 2022 first-rounder ultimately signed for. This meant that general manager Eric DeCosta and the rest of the front office, from the scouting department to the pro personnel staff, would need to come together to find the next anchor of their offensive line this offseason.

They began the process by bringing in a pair of experienced and versatile interior offensive linemen, Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter, as well as retaining exclusive rights free agent Corey Bullock. While all three are expected to compete to be Linderbaum's replacement, they only have 10 combined career starts between them, all of which belong to Pinter.

Bullock served as the Ravens' backup center last season and is a player the previous coaching staff was high on; however, it remains to be seen how much favor he'll have under the new one. Gwyn was essentially handpicked by new offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, given that he has spent the past three years grooming the 2023 seventh-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons.

While none of these moves seem or feel inspiring, the Ravens have shown that they have a strong and rich history of being able to find quality centers that range from solid to good and even elite. They are especially proficient when it comes to developing late-round draft picks and undrafted free agents into quality-to-upper echelon starters in the league.

"I think we have a pretty good history of drafting centers," DeCosta said during a press conference earlier this month. "I could go back and probably give you four or five guys that we've drafted over the years that have ended up being some of the very best centers in the league. So, I'm confident we can do that."

It started with Jeff Mitchell, who was a fifth-round pick in 1997 and went on to be a three-year starter in Baltimore, including anchoring the Super Bowl-winning 2000 Ravens offense. He was succeeded by undrafted gem Mike Flynn, who went on to be a seven-year starter. Jason Brown was a fourth-rounder in 2005, and after starting 45 games in Baltimore between center and left guard, he became the NFL's highest-paid center after playing his final year for the team (2008) at the position.

The Ravens deviated from the draft and develop tradition in seven of the eight years that followed. First, they signed six-time Pro Bowl veteran Matt Birk, who played for the team from 2009 to 2012 and anchored the second Super Bowl-winning offense in franchise history before retiring in the 2013 offseason. He was succeeded by 2012 fourth-rounder Gino Gradkowski, who only held the job for a year before getting replaced after the team traded for veteran Jeremy Zuttah. After the three-year stint that saw him get traded after making his lone career Pro Bowl in 2016, the Ravens have gone with homegrown solutions ever since.

In 2017, Baltimore went with 2013 sixth-rounder Ryan Jensen, who, like Bullock, was a converted college tackle. He parlayed his lone season as a full-time starter into becoming the highest-paid center in the league and went on to win a Super Bowl and get voted to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons before retiring due to injury.

Replacing him for the next three seasons was undrafted free agent Matt Skura, who started next to him at right guard for a dozen games as a rookie and slid over to be the new anchor from 2018-20. In the gap year between Skura and Linderbaum in 2021, Brandley Bozeman, a 20218 sixth rounder, held down the fort at center.

The Ravens became so well known for finding diamonds in the rough at center that many pundits didn't expect and were surprised when they selected Linderbaum in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at No. 25 overall out of Iowa. It was the most significant investment they've ever made at the position in franchise history in terms of draft capital, and they were willing to make him the highest-paid center reportedly by $4 million more per average than the former first-place holder on the list, four-time Pro Bowler Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Just because the Ravens have gone the homegrown route at center for nearly a decade, it doesn't mean that they won't consider deviating from it and sign another veteran with even more experience, such as Lloyd Cushenberry III. However, the modest free agency moves they've made suggest that they are preparing to add a rookie draft pick into the mix. How high that first-year pro will get taken is yet to be seen.

Potential Linderbaum replacement targets

Iowa center Logan Jones (65) runs onto the field during a NCAA football game against Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.
Iowa center Logan Jones (65) runs onto the field during a NCAA football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. 221022 Iowa Ohio St Fb 070 Jpg | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Since there are no natural center prospects projected to come off the board in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, instead projecting with another former career college tackle moving inside like Utah's Spencer Fano, here are four Day 2 and early Day 3 options the Ravens might target.

Logan Jones, Iowa: The Ravens could opt to go back to the same talent pool they got Linderbaum from five years ago to find his successor by taking another Hawkeye. Jones is one of the most athletic prospects among all interior offensive linemen in this entire class who would be tailor-made to play in what is expected to be a heavy outside zone heavy rushing attack under new coaches Declan Doyle and Dwayne Ledford. The 6-foot-3 and 299-pounder with 30 34" arms is coming off a senior season in which he earned All American and All-Big Ten honors and was the recipient of the Rimington Trophy, given to the top center in the nation.

Sam Hecht, Kansas State: The former Wildcat is slightly taller, longer and heavier than Jones but isn't quite as explosive an athlete. Yet his technical proficiency as a blocker more than makes up for it. He appeared in 42 career game with the last 25 being starts and didn't give up a sacks and allowed just two quarterback hits over that span and was rarely penalized. The two-time All Big-12 selection would fit right in with the Ravens since his intelligence and refinement make him a scheme diverse.

Brian Parker II, Duke: While he was a career tackle in college, with 32 coming on the right side and one on the left, the former Blue Devil is projected to move inside at the next level due to his lack of length with 32 7/8" arms. He plays with good hand placement and consistently stays square when engaged with defenders. Parker could come in right away and compete at both guard and center, and even if he doesn't win either right away, he could be the Ravens' next do-it-all lineman that they missed last year after losing Patrick Mekari in free agency last season. Look for him to be a potential option for the Ravens in the fourth round at No. 115, if not the third at No. 80.

Parker Brailsford, Alabama: It's been a while since the Ravens drafted an offensive lineman from the Crimson Tide. Bozeman was the last, and he was mostly a career college center. Brailsford also played guard during his two years at Washington from 2022 to 2023. He anchored Alabama's offensive line for the past few seasons. While he is the lightest prospect on this shortlist, he compensates with tenacity in blocking and excels at moving in space. Of this group, he is the only one firmly viewed as a mid-to-late-round selection and could be the next Ravens Day 3 success story if picked by them.

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Josh Reed
JOSH REED

Josh is a writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI focusing primarily on original content and reporting. He provides analysis, breakdowns, profiles, and reports on important news and transactions from and about the Ravens. His professional resume as a sports reporter includes covering local events, teams, and athletes in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska for Anchorage Daily News. His coverage on the Ravens and other NFL teams has been featured on Heavy.com/sports, Maryland Sports Blog and most recently Baltimore Beatdown from 2021 until 2025.

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