Baltimore spent the offseason fixing what had become a glaring problem at offensive guard, bringing in Vega Ioane and John Simpson to form what the Ravens hope is a workable pair. The move should give them a better answer than what they rolled out last year, but Week 1 in Indianapolis will show whether “better” is enough.
That’s the real issue here. Ioane arrived with the kind of pedigree that made him one of the most coveted guard prospects in recent memory, and Simpson brings 72 starts with him.
Even so, neither player is walking into this opener as a sure thing. Baltimore patched the hole, but it still has to find out whether the repair job holds when the games count.
The bar they’re trying to clear is not exactly high. It’s hard to imagine a worse showing than what Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees delivered in 2025.
But the Ravens are not chasing merely functional football up front. If they’re serious about staying in the Super Bowl hunt, the interior has to stop being a problem.
That matters especially with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry at the center of everything Baltimore wants to do. Jackson is 29 now and has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and a persistent hamstring issue derailed his 2025 season. The Ravens need Ioane and Simpson to help make sure his 2026 starts cleanly, not with him taking hits he doesn’t need.
Jackson still brings the full package when he’s healthy. He can punish defenses as a runner and, as the source material notes, he’s become a lethal passer too. But all of that only works if the protection inside is good enough against the Colts.
Henry, meanwhile, remains Henry. Baltimore may still be working through some early-season timing in the passing game, but the run game can lean on him right away. His 2025 season was as dominant as ever:
Category
2025 Total
NFL Rank
Rushing Yards
1,595
2nd
Rushing Touchdowns
16
2nd
First Downs
79
2nd
20+ Yard Runs
17
1st
40+ Yard Runs
4
Tied for 2nd
If he managed that with shaky interior blocking, the idea of what he could do behind a sturdier guard tandem is obvious. Baltimore would love to see Ioane and Simpson help Henry hit another level against Indianapolis.
That won’t come easy. The Colts have real threats on their defensive front, starting with DeForest Buckner, who can wreck a passing play at any time. Grover Stewart has slipped a bit, but he still brings value as a run stuffer, and Laiatu Latu flashed breakout potential in 2025 with 8.5 sacks.
Any one of them can put Ioane and Simpson in a bad spot fast. Baltimore’s new guards will have to stay locked in for all 60 minutes.
And there’s no hiding the uncertainty. Simpson has spent six years trying to become a league-average guard, while Ioane is a rookie. The possibility exists that Indianapolis gives both of them a rough welcome.
That’s why this opener matters so much. If the growing pains show up in a big way, the Colts could expose Baltimore’s offense and hand the Ravens the first loss on their schedule.
In Other News...
Former Ravens QB Flop Suddenly Matters To Baltimore Fans Again
Cooper Rushs next stop has already put him back in the spotlight around Baltimore. After spending time as a backup quarterback for the Ravens, Rush moved on to Atlanta this offseason, where his role suddenly got a lot more interesting once the Falcons had to adjust to an injury situation involving their starter, Tua Tagovailoa. Rush has been taking first-team reps in practice, and the possibility of him opening the season at quarterback has turned a familiar name into a topic Ravens fans are watching again.
For Baltimore, the interest is less about what Rush did in purple and more about what his path says about the quarterback carousel in the league. A player who once looked like depth chart filler now has a real chance to matter in a Week 1 matchup against the Steelers, even though no final decision has been announced yet. It is a reminder that backup quarterbacks can go from footnote to storyline fast, especially when an injury forces a team to rethink everything right before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Are About To Find Out What Trenton Simpson Can Handle
The Ravens spent the preseason protecting a lot of their core pieces, and that included linebacker Trenton Simpson, whose workload now looks a lot different with injuries still affecting the roster. Simpson has been sitting in that in-between space for a while, somewhere between a full-time starting job and a heavy special-teams role, but the next step for him could come quickly with Baltimore needing more from him against the Colts.
Coaches have liked the way Simpson has developed and the flexibility he brings to the defense, and this week will give them a better read on how far that versatility can carry. Indianapolis has a habit of challenging linebackers in short-yardage passing situations, which makes this a useful measuring stick for a player who is suddenly being asked to do more than just fill in around the edges. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Put Week 1 Pressure On An Unproven Starter
Jovaughn Gwyn is stepping into one of the more important jobs on the Ravens offense at a time when every detail up front matters. Baltimore named Gwyn the starting center over Ethan Pocic, a decision that underscores how much the staff liked what it saw from him in training camp and the preseason, even with limited prior playing experience. Lamar Jackson and Jesse Minter have both shown confidence in Gwyn, and now the rookie-level spotlight shifts from practice fields to real game speed.
The timing is hardly subtle, either, with the Ravens opening against the Indianapolis Colts and their reputation for generating pressure. Center is a position where one clean snap or one missed call can swing a drive, so Gwyn will be under the microscope from the first series on. Baltimore clearly believes he is ready, but Week 1 will provide the first real test of whether that trust is well placed. [Read more 🡒]