Ravens Still Facing Big Questions

The saying goes that the game of football is won in the trenches, and unfortunately for the Baltimore Ravens, the trenches may be their biggest weakness.

That's not as bad as it sounds due to how stacked Baltimore's roster is, and it's not like the Ravens are in awful shape in the trenches. They still have one of the NFL's best centers in Tyler Linderbaum anchoring their offensive line, while Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones headline an overall strong defensive line.

However, there are some questions on both sides of the trenches. On offense, the Ravens still have to name a new starting guard after Patrick Mekari's departure in free agency, with Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland competing for the role. On defense, they lost Michael Pierce and Brent Urban in free agency, and they addressed those departures through late draft picks and minor free agent signings.

With training camp on the horizon, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic questioned whether or not the Ravens have done enough to improve in the trenches.

"The Ravens’ season-ending loss to the Bills can largely be attributed to their three turnovers, but they also were handled at the line of scrimmage. That’s been a common theme in their playoff disappointments," Zrebiec wrote. "The Ravens lost starting left guard Patrick Mekari and swing guard/tackle Josh Jones in free agency, nose tackle Michael Pierce retired and defensive lineman Brent Urban wasn’t re-signed. They drafted three offensive linemen and one interior defensive lineman, but the only one taken before Day 3, third-round OT Emery Jones Jr., needed shoulder surgery and won’t be ready for the start of training camp."

"Their outside trench free-agent signings were oft-injured G/T Joseph Noteboom and journeyman NT John Jenkins. General manager Eric DeCosta has had a nice offseason, but the Ravens are still relatively thin in the offensive and defensive interior."

Again, the Ravens have very few weaknesses right now, so they definitely aren't doomed in the trenches or anything. However, their interiors are a mild concern at this point in time.

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