Welcome to Day 5 of State of the Ravens! Today, we touch on a group that was critical to the team’s success in 2023: the offensive line. If you’ve missed any days leading up to today, feel free to read my breakdowns here. This is a unit that’s experienced a lot of turnover this offseason, so let’s jump right in and see how these changes will affect the offense in 2024.
The Ravens saw a few key members of their 2023 heavies leave in the offseason. Right guard Kevin Zeitler left for Detroit, who rewarded him with a one-year, $6M deal after a very good (and very underrated) season. Right tackle Morgan Moses also left Baltimore, returning to New York via trade. John Simpson also joined the Jets as a free agent. These were all solid, dependable players, so the offense will definitely feel their absence, at least early on. However, Eric DeCosta did a good job of bringing in fresh talent to replenish the guys up front, and this is who the team will have in 2024:
Tackle
Ronnie Stanley (LT) — Roger Rosengarten (RT) — Patrick Mekari — Daniel Faalele
Guard
Andrew Vorhees (LG) — Josh Jones (RG) — Ben Cleveland — Malaesala Aumavae-Lalu
Center
Let’s go over each unit individually, starting with the tackles. Ronnie Stanley has struggled immensely with injuries since signing that massive contract extension back in 2020 worth nearly $100M over five years. It’s safe to say that he hasn’t lived up to the deal, which is definitely frustrating for the front office. Many believe that this is a do-or-die year for him; if the Notre Dame product doesn’t stay on the field and play well, it’s very possible that he’s no longer a Raven come next offseason. The talent’s obviously there, but he’s had issues on the field over the past couple seasons. This is a big year for Stanley, who feels like he’s finally healthy, but only time will tell. On the right side is rookie Roger Rosengarten out of Washington, someone the front office had circled on their draft boards. He figures to slot in as the starting RT after not allowing a single sack in his last 1,235 pass-blocking snaps with the Huskies. He’s definitely capable of having a successful NFL career, starting with a solid 2023. Behind Stanley and Rosengarten is the versatile Patrick Mekari, who’s technically a tackle but can play all over the line. His presence is huge for the Ravens, who have a lot of inexperienced and injury-prone blockers. Daniel Faalele is the final tackle who’ll make the cut, and he’s still trying to translate his massive size and great physicality into success on the football field. Barring injuries, he likely won’t see much action in 2024.
The guard situation… isn’t great. The presumed starting LG is USC’s Andrew Vorhees, who is essentially a rookie after missing all of 2023 due to an ACL tear at the 2023 Combine. That injury caused him to fall from the 2nd round (where he was projected to go) all the way to the 7th, where the Ravens traded back into the Draft to snag him. Vorhees has exhibited incredible toughness, completing the Combine bench press drill right after suffering the injury, and hopes are high for him in 2024. Still, he carries a lot of risk, and it’s a situation to be monitored. On the right side, things are even rockier. Many outlets project Ben Cleveland as the top RG, but I expect free agent acquisition Josh Jones to take the starting job. The Ravens don’t seem confident at all in Cleveland; heading into his fourth season after being a 3rd round pick, he’s been unable to put it together and take a starting role. It’s unfortunate, because he does have great size, but he’s not known for being the most physically well-rounded (including a failed conditioning test back in 2022). The signing of Jones is reminiscent of EDC bringing in John Simpson last season, and I think he’ll fill a similar role in 2024.
Over at center, the Ravens know what they have in Tyler Linderbaum. Heading into just his third season, he’s already cemented his status as a top-3 center in the game, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2023. Last year, he allowed zero sacks and committed no penalties in 610 pass-blocking snaps. Impressive stuff. The front office certainly isn’t regretting the trades it made in the 2022 Draft, where they shipped Marquise Brown to Arizona in exchange for the #23 pick and moved down to #25 to pick up Linderbaum alongside adding pick #130.
Let’s check out the team’s three-year plan on the line:
Three-Year Plan
If Stanley doesn’t perform well in 2024, he’ll be gone next offseason. The Ravens will try to develop Vorhees into a starting-caliber guard, and Rosengarten will likely have the RT job for years to come. Linderbaum will be owed a big extension soon, and DeCosta will likely take a tackle or guard early in either the 2025 or ’26 Drafts to solidify the unit while continuing to draft depth in the later rounds.
That’s all for Week 1! Come back next week for coverage of the defense and special teams.
