For much of Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Ryan Jensen‘s three-year career, he has been an afterthought – simply a roster filler; never someone depended upon for playing time.
But with a recent injury to starting left guard Kelechi Osemele, Jensen has finally earned his first opportunity as an NFL starter, and has filled in admirably during Baltimore’s two-game win streak.
With almost no NFL experience and coming from little-known Colorado State-Pueblo, these last two games have been Jensen’s first true extended exposure to professional opposition.
Jensen has managed to not once stand out negatively, and while he and center John Urschel have not been forces up front, both have worked to stay afloat and keep the offense in one piece.
So far, so good for Jensen.
Let’s take a look at how he has been able to neutralize the opposition, particularly on Monday night against the Cleveland Browns.
As a run blocker, Jensen was effective at getting ahead of the play and wiping out second-level defenders.
Here, off the snap, Jensen works upfield to engage with the linebacker.
As the run play develops toward Jensen’s side, he makes contact with the linebacker and begins to work the defender away from the play. The run play ultimately results in a cutback, thus forcing Jensen to carry his defender to his left.
By the time the running back cuts back toward the middle, Jensen has successfully neutralized the linebacker and eliminated him from the play.
Nothing flashy, but he gets the job done.
In pass protection, Jensen, along with the rest of the Ravens offensive line, gave quarterback Matt Schaub a fair amount of clean pockets against Cleveland. This was a result of the linemen holding their ground in one-on-one blocking assignments.
On this example, Jensen is left isolated on the defender.
As Schaub drops back and searches for his target, Jensen successfully gets underneath the shoulder pads of the Browns defender and gains positioning. This gives his quarterback ample time to choose a target, and the play results in a Kamar Aiken touchdown.
Along with quality one-on-one blocking by Jensen came a clear awareness of his surroundings. For example, on this play Jensen offers an initial push on one blocker, with number 71 Danny Shelton approaching Jensen’s side.
Jensen properly reacts to Shelton and slides back over in time to prevent the interior stunt. Shelton could have easily overpowered Jensen on the play, but the Ravens lineman holds his ground.
As Schaub diagnoses an open Aiken downfield, Jensen has fended off Shelton and eliminated him from the pass rush.
Overall, Jensen has not been a road grader as a run blocker or a wall in pass protection. But he is performing the duty of a quality backup: someone who can step in for a few games and simply neutralize – not dominate – the opposition.
With Osemele primed for free agency next Spring, it is a positive sign to have a capable backup such as Jensen on the roster. To believe he or Urschel could be plug-and-play replacements for Osemele (if K.O. departs) is too early of a call at this point, but both figure to have a fair chance at competing for the job.
But for now, the fact that Jensen has been able to step in and prove himself gives hope for the depth of Baltimore’s interior offensive line for the remainder of this season.
