The Ravens are taking a real swing at center, and Jovaughn Gwyn is the one who has to make it work.
Baltimore spent the offseason sorting through uncertainty at the position before settling on Gwyn over Ethan Pocic. That decision is notable on its own, especially with Pocic returning from a serious Achilles injury and bringing nearly 100 starts over nine years to the table.
When the Ravens signed Pocic, plenty of people - including the source here - assumed he would step right into the job. Instead, Gwyn won it by stacking a strong training camp and preseason while Pocic worked his way back.
Now the Ravens are publicly backing a player who has barely been on the field in the NFL. Through three seasons, Gwyn has played only 11 snaps and has never started a game. That makes this one of the bigger question marks on a roster otherwise built to contend.
The support around him has been loud. Lamar Jackson said, "I've got 100% confidence in him."
Jesse Minter echoed that with, "We've got a lot of confidence in him."
But confidence in August and confidence in September are two different things, and Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts will tell the real story.
That’s because Gwyn’s job is about more than just surviving. The Ravens need him to handle starting-level defensive fronts, keep the pocket clean for Jackson, and help open lanes for Derrick Henry in the run game. Baltimore already addressed the guard spots by drafting Vega Ioane and signing John Simpson, but if the center play is shaky, the interior line could become a problem again.
That’s the danger here: interior pressure can wreck even the best quarterback, and the Colts bring plenty of it. Last season, their defense ranked fifth in pressures, which gives them a clear path to testing Gwyn immediately. If they’re going to attack a soft spot, this is the one.
Minter made it clear that this is still a Week 1 call, which means the leash may not be long if Gwyn has a rough afternoon. A bad debut could turn the center situation right back into an issue.
Still, the Ravens clearly believe there’s something to work with. Gwyn showed enough in camp and preseason to win the job, and the team is betting that he can keep building on that. Sunday will show whether Baltimore found a hidden answer or just rolled the dice on a major unknown.
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 Are Going All In On Unlocking Lamar Jackson
The Ravens made it clear during their coaching search that Lamar Jackson was not going to be treated like just another quarterback in the room. Baltimore brought him into the process, then added Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle to the new staff, with Doyle stepping in as offensive coordinator and immediately getting to work on shaping the offense around Jackson's strengths.
Doyle has been meeting regularly with Jackson, keeping the lines of communication open on play-calling and game decisions. The idea is to make sure Jackson's voice stays part of the weekly plan, and that collaboration is expected to continue as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]