Jeff Zrebiec Predicts Who Will Start at Center for Ravens
It’s not often that the center position becomes the center of attention in the offseason, but one of the hottest topics this summer around Baltimore is who will snap the ball to Lamar Jackson when the regular season starts.
Three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum leaving to sign a market-shattering contract with the Las Vegas Raiders created a huge void at center. It was widely believed the Ravens would draft his successor, but two prospects they coveted (Iowa’s Logan Jones and Florida’s Jake Slaughter) went off the board earlier than expected.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said after the draft that the Ravens could explore trade options to fill the position. As it stands, the competition for the starting center job is between Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, and Corey Bullock. Pinter, who started 10 games with the Indianapolis Colts over five seasons, is the only candidate with starting experience.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec weighed in on the subject when fielding readers’ questions in a mailbag article.
“I’ve been saying since the draft ended without them addressing the position that I believe the Ravens’ Week 1 starting center will come from outside the organization,” Zrebiec wrote. “I’m going to stick with that, although I fully acknowledge that the closer we get to the start of training camp, the more my belief in that prediction will wane. If they don’t make a move, I expect Danny Pinter to win the job.”
Zrebiec elaborated on trade possibilities, writing: “There seemed to be a level of confidence from team officials immediately following the draft that they’d be able to pull off a trade. I’m not saying I don’t sense that same confidence, but Ravens folks are keeping their plans much closer to the vest. It’s just hard to find teams that feel they have a surplus of offensive line depth.
“The name you hear most is Garrett Bradbury from the Chicago Bears. It isn’t clear whether he’s available, but it is easy to connect the dots. The Bears used a second-round pick on Iowa center Logan Jones. Bradbury, meanwhile, is an experienced, solid option who was coached by Ledford at North Carolina State and started in a Super Bowl roughly five months ago.”
Zrebiec added that he doesn’t foresee first-round guard Vega Ioane or 2025 third-round offensive tackle/guard Emery Jones Jr. getting snaps at center.
Regardless of whether the Ravens add a veteran center, Jackson said he liked what he saw from the starting center candidates at minicamp.
“Those guys are competing well,” Jackson said. “They’re doing a pretty good job to me. I’m liking our choices, for sure.”