The Colts may have circled Baltimore’s center spot as a place to attack in Week 1, but the matchup is not nearly as straightforward as it first looked.
When training camp opened, Indianapolis could have expected to see former Colt Danny Pinter anchoring the Ravens’ offensive line. Pinter had been a dependable backup in Indy since 2020 and was set to finally get a crack at starting. That plan vanished in August, when he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during a joint practice and will miss the season.
Now the job belongs to Jovaughn Gwyn, a 2023 seventh-round pick who appeared in his first regular-season game in 2025 with the Atlanta Falcons. He has not started a game and has never played more than six snaps in one game, which makes him an easy player to target on paper.
But Baltimore doesn’t seem to think this is some glaring weakness. Ravens expert Connor Burke of FanSided’s Ebony Bird said, "(Gwyn has) looked really good. Pass protection was really solid, and (he) brought that kind of nastiness you want from an offensive lineman in the run game."
That confidence is backed up by the way Gwyn won the job. He beat out long-time NFL starter Ethan Pocic to replace Pinter, which tells you the Ravens’ coaches saw something they liked. And while his regular-season résumé is tiny - only five real games on offense - his preseason work has been strong.
During the 2026 preseason, Gwyn allowed just one quarterback pressure in 50 pass-block reps. Across the four preseasons he has taken part in, he has given up only two pressures in 287 pass-block snaps. Preseason results don’t guarantee much once the real games start, especially when backups are facing backups, but Gwyn has at least shown he can hold up.
He also brings value in the run game, and that matters plenty in Baltimore’s offense. With Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in the backfield, the Ravens are going to lean on the ground game. If Gwyn does his part, the scheme should have a chance to hum.
Of course, the Colts still have plenty of reasons to believe they can win this battle. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are both the kind of interior defenders who can wreck an opponent’s plans.
Stewart is one of the league’s better run-stuffers, and Buckner remains one of the NFL’s top defensive tackles overall. Either one can overwhelm the man across from him.
So yes, Indianapolis may have an edge in the middle. But with Gwyn showing enough to earn the Ravens’ trust, Week 1 may not hand the Colts the easy advantage it first appeared to offer.
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