After ripping off five straight wins and clawing their way back into the playoff picture, the Baltimore Ravens are once again facing familiar late-season turbulence. Back-to-back divisional losses have taken the wind out of their sails, and with just a handful of games left, the margin for error is thin. This is the time of year when teams either solidify their identity or get exposed-and right now, the Ravens are teetering between the two.
What’s made this stretch particularly frustrating for Baltimore is the lack of cohesion between the offense and defense. Early in the season, the offense looked sharp while the defense struggled to find its footing.
Now, it’s flipped. The defense has tightened up, showing signs of life, but the offense has gone ice cold.
It’s as if both units are taking turns carrying the load, but never at the same time-and that’s a tough formula to sustain in December football.
The root issues on both sides of the ball have become pretty clear. Offensively, the line play has been the biggest concern.
Protection has broken down too often, and the run game hasn’t been able to generate consistent push up front. On the defensive side, the pass rush has lacked juice.
The Ravens aren’t getting home nearly enough, allowing opposing quarterbacks too much time to operate.
With the calendar flipped to Week 15, there aren’t many opportunities left to make meaningful roster upgrades. But General Manager Eric DeCosta did make a low-risk move this week that could help stabilize the offensive line. On Tuesday, the Ravens signed veteran guard Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad and released defensive end Carl Lawson in a corresponding move.
Lawson, brought in earlier this season to bolster a quiet pass rush, saw action in just one game. With his release, Baltimore is clearly shifting focus toward shoring up the offensive front-especially in light of Ben Cleveland’s recent suspension. Tomlinson, a seasoned interior lineman, now joins a group that’s been in flux for much of the year.
Let’s be clear: Tomlinson hasn’t exactly lit it up this season. He started seven games for the Houston Texans before being released on December 2.
Houston’s offensive line was among the league’s worst early on, and their recent improvement has coincided with Tomlinson being out of the lineup. His Pro Football Focus grade sits at a modest 56.1, with below-average marks in both pass protection and run blocking.
But context matters. Baltimore isn’t looking for an All-Pro here-they’re looking for a steady veteran presence who can step in and provide some stability.
At 33, Tomlinson brings starting experience and a physical style that could still be useful in the right situation. Given the Ravens’ current options at guard, he might actually represent an upgrade.
The team has already shown a willingness to experiment. In Week 13, they rolled out a left guard rotation between Andrew Vorhees and rookie Emery Jones Jr.
That experiment seemed to signal that changes were on the table, but Head Coach John Harbaugh has since indicated that Jones might not be quite ready for a bigger role just yet. That opens the door for someone like Tomlinson to step in-if not immediately, then potentially in the final stretch of the season.
Of course, Tomlinson will need time to get up to speed in Todd Monken’s offense. The terminology, the schemes, the tempo-it’s a lot to absorb on the fly. But if he can get comfortable quickly, there’s a path for him to contribute, possibly even as a starter if Vorhees or right guard Daniel Faalele continue to struggle.
At this point in the season, it’s about finding answers-anywhere you can. The Ravens are still in the playoff hunt, but the clock is ticking.
And if they want to make a real run, they’ll need both sides of the ball to click at the same time. Maybe Tomlinson isn’t the long-term fix, but in a year where depth is being tested across the league, he could be a timely addition for a team that needs a spark up front.