One Tyler Linderbaum Stat Shows Ravens Shouldn't Re-Sign Him

There are a lot of experts out there who want the Baltimore Ravens to be aggressive and make sure they re-sign their star center, Tyler Linderbaum, in free agency.

Linderbaum is set to be paid between $17-18 million per year and be one of the highest-paid centers in the league, and with good reason, as he has been selected to the last three Pro Bowls. Despite all the great work he has done, the question is whether he is even worth the investment for the Ravens, who can't afford to do as much work as they would like this offseason.

Scoutdnfl.com founder Daniel Rotman showed the stats on offensive linemen and the pressure rate percentage they allow. Linderbaum ranked 31st out of 32 centers, allowing a staggering 4.85% during the 2025 campaign.

Should the Ravens pay up for Tyler Linderbaum despite pass protection issues?

Linderbaum has always been known more for his run blocking than his pass protection. Pro Football Focus showed that, as last season, Linderbaum received a pass-blocking grade of 63.4, ranking 22nd out of 40 eligible centers in the NFL. He allowed 26 pressures, two sacks, and one quarterback hit in 2025.

Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

While pass protection may not be as important in a center as in other offensive lineman positions, those are the type of numbers that will make a team question whether it's worth it to throw nearly $20 million at a center who is more one-dimensional. There's a reason why Linderbaum has been a Pro Bowler three times, and nothing can be taken away from that, but if he truly struggles in pass protection like that, another option might be better for them.

NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported that contract negotiations between the Ravens and Linderbaum have not gone as well as they had hoped. That is leaving Baltimore with the backup plan to sign Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern in free agency if a deal with Linderbaum doesn't work out.

McGovern isn't a bad option for the Ravens, as he has performed well for the Bills and Dallas Cowboys in his career. Just last season, PFF gave him a grade of 69.1, ranking him 15th out of 40 centers in the NFL. A big thing with McGovern is that he's one of the best pass-blocking centers in the league, with PFF giving him a 73.4 grade, ranking him sixth among 40 centers.

While the Ravens would love to have Linderbaum back in 2026, he might be too expensive to retain when the team has bigger needs to fill in free agency. They would be smart to save themselves $10 million per year with McGovern and use that extra money to get an elite edge rusher and a better guard on the line. That would help them more than paying a massive sum for Linderbaum.

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