It appears as if the Ravens are done with the Gino Gradkowski experiment.
On Sunday, The Baltimore Ravens officially announced the addition of center Jeremy Zuttah via a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We said at the beginning of the offseason that we would be adding quality players to our line and Jeremy fits that description,” Newsome said to the teams’ website.
“We are getting a player who has started at both center and guard, and played well at each position. We’re excited to have him as a Raven and believe he can play a significant role for us.”
In return Tampa Bay will receive a 2015 fifth-round draft pick per NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.
Zuttah is slated to earn $8.75 mil over the final 2 years of his deal however reports have surfaced that the deal has been adjusted to a lower salary-cap figure for the Ravens.
Drafted by the Bucs in 2008 Zuttah has played in 90 career games including starting 14 starts at center in 2013.
In 2013 Pro Football Focus ranked Zuttah as the 22nd best center in the league compared to Ravens starter Gino Gradkowski who graded out as the league’s worst of the 35 centers graded. It is also worth noting that according to the website, Zuttah did not allow a sack in 2013.
The move for Zuttah now bolsters a Ravens offensive line that will feature Eugene Monroe at left tackle, Zuttah at center, Yanda at right guard and either Kelechi Osemele at right tackle or left guard.
How excited is Zuttah to play for the Ravens?
“The past six years in Tampa Bay have been great for me, but now I’m looking forward to joining the Ravens and helping them win another championship,” Zuttah told the teams’ website. “That’s just a great atmosphere to be around with Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh, who have won a Super Bowl. It’s a stable environment. It will be great.”
While the Ravens continue to upgrade their offensive line as they vowed to after last season’s debacle, having an experienced center is certainly a must.
Add in his past run blocking history for Ray Rice when the two played at Rutgers University and it appears to be a win-win situation all-around.
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