The Ravens spent the deadline acting like a team with no interest in making the obvious move.
Around the league, executives had been convinced Baltimore would not start unloading veteran contracts, and they were right. What they did instead was even stranger: they sent away their starting kicker to the Falcons and then, in the same stretch, added a starting center for the second time in a month. This time it was Atlanta’s Ryan Neuzil, coming in after Baltimore had already made the baffling move to trade for concussed Eagles offensive lineman Cam Jurgens, a deal that could wind up costing what might be a top 40 pick in 2028.
That’s where this has gone for the Ravens, who are now losers of four straight and have allowed 33 points or more in three straight games for the second time in franchise history, with 2025 being the other instance. They also have failed to score 14 points in four straight games for the first time ever. And with that backdrop, this is the answer from the front office.
The idea that Baltimore might have been a seller had been floating for weeks. Multiple NFL executives said teams had interest in 32-year-old Derrick Henry, who has been left with no real chance to produce behind an offensive line that has crumbled without Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
Jackson is done for the season on IR. Ronnie Stanley, Rashod Bateman and Calais Campbell were also identified as possible trade pieces, especially with Baltimore looking like anything but a clean operation under rookie head coach Jesse Minter and carrying the NFL’s worst salary-cap situation.
Instead, the Ravens doubled down on the offensive line mess.
Neuzil is 29 and has strong ties to offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Falcons and stuck around on futures deals and low-end contracts before landing an extension ahead of 2025.
He has started every game at center this season, and he did the same in 2025, while making about $4 million. Baltimore gave up failed offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees and a sixth-round pick in 2028 to get him.
It’s a move that makes even less sense when stacked against the rest of the Ravens’ recent line decisions. They already tried the Falcons route once with former fringe lineman Jovaughn Gwyn at center, a move that drew skepticism around the league before he was lost for the season in Week 3. Center has been a problem ever since Baltimore let Tyler Linderbaum walk in free agency, and the weekly shuffle up front has only made matters worse.
The line has been in constant flux. Free agent guard John Simpson has been a disaster.
First-round pick Vega Ioane is back from injury and, as the source material notes, remains the best center on the roster. The Ravens have also looked at youngster Emery Jones at guard.
There’s a real case to bench Simpson, who is guaranteed at least $5.5 million in 2027, but that would seemingly push Jones and Ioane into the starting guard spots. Even by Baltimore’s recent standards, that would be a jarring setup.
And with Jurgens’ medical history, the need for another center is obvious.
Still, the timing is hard to ignore. The Ravens could have saved money and draft capital by making this move months ago, rather than after the damage was already done. Instead, they’re now trying to patch things together with Jurgens, Neuzil, and a line that has already hit rock bottom.
Baltimore also made a couple of other moves Tuesday. The team released blocking tight end Nick Vannett, with the loss of TE Durham Smythe having been significant, and brought back fullback Lucas Scott.
The need for a true lead blocker for Henry had been clear for weeks. The Ravens let All Pro fullback Pat Ricard leave for the Giants in March, where he reunited with former coach John Harbaugh and is now in first place in the NFC East.
None of it changes the bigger picture. The Ravens’ playoff odds keep sliding, and Tuesday’s transactions do little to stop the fall.
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The Ravens made a modest but practical move to shore up the offensive line, landing Ryan Neuzil from the Falcons in exchange for Andrew Vorhees and a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick. It is the kind of trade that does not change the top of the depth chart, but it does give Baltimore another experienced body in a room where versatility matters and injuries can quickly force a team to shuffle pieces around.
Even with Neuzil in the building, coach Jesse Minter said Cam Jurgens remains the starting center and is viewed as the future of the Ravens' offensive line. So the acquisition reads less like a challenge to Jurgens than a safeguard behind him, with Neuzil expected to step in as a backup who can help wherever needed. The bigger question now is how Baltimore sorts out the rest of its line depth after moving Vorhees, and how quickly the new addition settles into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
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