With Week 1 closing in, the Ravens are nearing a call that has hung over camp for weeks: who takes over at center after Tyler Linderbaum’s departure in free agency?
Baltimore has not publicly named a starter, and that may not change before the opener at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts. But inside the building, the decision is close.
"It is still up in the air," offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. "We are going to finish this week of preparation. We have one more practice tomorrow and then [we will] sit down - 'Led' [run game coordinator/offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford], [head coach] Jesse [Minter], myself - and discuss how we want to handle that moving forward.
Danny Pinter had been in the mix, but his season ended when he suffered a torn patellar tendon during joint practices against the Minnesota Vikings. That leaves fourth-year pro Jovaughn Gwyn and 10th-year veteran Ethan Pocic as the two remaining contenders, both still held in high regard by the staff.
"[I] feel really good about how both of those guys have responded with the reps we have given them, but that is where we are at right now," Doyle said.
The way Baltimore has handled the competition points toward Gwyn. Even before Pinter went down, the plan was to increase Pocic’s work with the first unit as the preseason moved along. Instead, Gwyn has taken most of the first-team snaps in practice, started the Ravens’ final two preseason games, and came out after only a few series - the kind of usage usually reserved for a projected starter or clear front-runner.
General manager Eric DeCosta also made it clear the staff likes what it has seen from the group.
"Dwayne had a lot of excitement about him, and he has done a great job for us," DeCosta said. "I do not know what it is going to look like Week 1 because I have not seen what it is going to look like yet, but I am excited about it, and I think that we will probably build and build and build, and hopefully in January and February we are playing our best football."
The experience gap is obvious. Gwyn has no starts and only 11 offensive snaps across his first three seasons. Pocic, by contrast, has started 97 of the 114 games he has played over his first nine years.
Even so, Gwyn appears positioned to win the job and open the season as the starter. He already knows Ledford and the blocking system Baltimore plans to use, thanks to their time together with the Atlanta Falcons.
Pocic remains the fallback option if Gwyn slips or struggles. He is also further removed from the torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2025 season in December.
For now, the Ravens seem to have two options they trust. The final answer should come soon.
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