Ravens Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford Provides New Insight on Center Competition

The Baltimore Ravens shared what they are looking for in Tyler Linderbaum's replacement and that there is no set timetable to make the final decision anytime soon.

Jul 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens center Ethan Pocic (77) during practice at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The most anticipated position battle heading into the Baltimore Ravens' 2026 training camp was widely viewed as the one to decide who would be replacing three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum as the new anchor in the middle of the starting offensive line.

However, after the team agreed to terms on a one-year deal with 10th-year veteran Ethan Pocic just before camp got underway, it was viewed as a forgone conclusion that he would be the favorite and declared the victor in short order.

After all, his 97 career starts are nearly 10 times the combined number of starts of his top competitors, who are Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn while Nick Dawkins and Corey Bullock, who is currently on the Non-Football Injury list, are dark horses who could emerge later on if healthy and given the chance.

While fans and pundits no longer view the battle as much of a competition, that couldn't be the furthest thing from the truth inside the Ravens building. Following the team's first padded practice of training camp on Monday, new offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford outlined what the ultimate winner of the competition will have to display to earn the job.

"All of them bring [something] a little bit different in each one of them," Ledford said. "That guy has got to take control of the offense. It starts with the operation with that guy. With that, it's early on in the process right now and it has got to be something where we're giving each one of those guys an opportunity to kind of show 'Hey, we can run the show and do exactly what we are asking you to do from a skill set at the center position.' But, I'm excited about all three of those guys. I look forward to Training Camp and once we get to these joint practices and preseason games to watch this whole thing unfold."

Ravens are in no rush to declare a winner

Jul 30, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (5) greets lineman Jovaughn Gwyn (54) during practice at Under Armour Peformance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As convenient as having a clear-cut starting five a week into training camp would be in a perfect world, the Ravens are happy to let the process play out and let all parties get a fair shake at earning the spot before making a final decision.

"I think it's going to take all of Training Camp," Ledford said. "It will come down to probably that last week when we're going into it, because I think all three of them are doing a really good job with it. We want to make sure that we're diligent in giving everybody the opportunity that's here with it, because they are here for a reason — [we] just [want to] make sure we get the right guy that we want in there with that first group."

Pinter is the only other candidate with previous starting experience, with 10 under his belt between center and guard, all with the Indianapolis Colts. He received rave reviews throughout the Ravens' offseason program to the point where he was tabbed as the favorite to win the job until the team brought in Pocic.

Gwyn has been getting groomed by Ledford for an opportunity such as this for the past three years, since he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. His familiarity with both his primary and assistant position coach, Shawn Flaherty, as well as the blocking schemes that they are implementing in Baltimore, makes him a viable contender for the job despite being a career backup to this point in his career with no starts and just 11 offensive snaps in 19 games played.

As for the two dark horses, Bullock is a 2024 undrafted free agent who served as Linderbaum's primary backup last year and was viewed as a strong candidate to succeed him before the Ravens brought in more formidable competition, and he had to undergo offseason surgery. Dawkins is an undrafted rookie out of Penn State who spent the last two years of his collegiate career starting next to first-round pick Olaivavega Ioane. Depending on how much the Ravens want to play their young Day 1 starter in the preseason, there's a chance that the former Nittany Lions could be lining up beside each other in the pros as they did in the Big Ten.