The Ravens’ center situation has gone from thin to precarious in a hurry, and rookie guard Vega Ioane now looks like the player most likely to be asked to absorb the damage.
Baltimore lost both of its centers in the Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and head coach Jesse Minter said Monday that the injuries are “ a bit long-term.” With Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic both expected to miss multiple weeks, the middle of the offensive line is suddenly wide open. That comes on top of Danny Pinter’s season-ending injury in the offseason, leaving the Ravens scrambling for answers.
Ioane is the cleanest option on the board, even if it comes with obvious risk. He stepped in during the fourth quarter after Pocic went down and held his own.
He also brought a little center experience from Penn State, and Minter said Ioane has taken reps there in practice. Still, asking a rookie guard to handle center for an extended stretch is a major leap.
The alternative choices are not exactly comforting. Internally, Baltimore has Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr. as backup interior linemen.
Vorhees has played guard, and the idea of moving him to center is not a particularly appealing one. Jones has upside, but he remains raw and struggled in limited chances, including in the preseason.
Baltimore could also explore a reunion with Kevin Zeitler. That would help avoid putting Vorhees at center, but Zeitler is a guard, which means Ioane would still be the one sliding over.
A trade for a quality center would be difficult as well, because teams place a premium on offensive line depth. For now, the path of least resistance points straight toward Ioane.
That move would carry real concerns. Ioane is a natural guard and was billed as the best guard prospect since Quenton Nelson, so shifting him away from that spot is no small decision.
He’s also had some rookie bumps along the way. Per PFF, Ioane has allowed six pressures, including a costly one in Week 2 that led to a Lamar Jackson interception.
He hasn’t been a disaster, but the pass protection mistakes have shown up.
Center would ask even more of him. He’d be the line’s primary communicator, and that’s a heavy assignment for any rookie.
Baltimore’s offensive line has already been a concern, and interior pressure has been a familiar problem in recent years. Add a rookie learning a new position on the fly, and the Ravens could be staring at a messy stretch up front.
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For Ravens fans, it adds another layer to a running back who has fit right in and kept producing at a high level since arriving in Baltimore. For Tennessee, it only deepens the contrast, with the Titans still trying to find their footing while the player who once defined their offense has continued rolling somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]