The 2025 NFL season has concluded, and teams are preparing for free agency and the draft to strengthen their rosters and become or remain legitimate contenders.
Free agency begins on March 11, allowing teams ample time to finalize last-minute deals with their pending free agents and gather essential information about other teams’ free agents.
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This season, there are expected to be a number of elite free agents available, including pass rusher Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals. However, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco wrote that the best player available is Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed a four-year, $13.2 million rookie contract when he was drafted in 2022.
Baltimore Ravens guard Patrick Mekari (65), guard Ben Cleveland (66) and center Tyler Linderbaum (64) line up.Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
(Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
“He’s the best offensive lineman in this group, and it’s not close,” Prisco wrote. “The Ravens would be stupid to let him walk. At 26, he’s got a lot of good football left.”
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The effect of this evaluation centers on the Ravens and their offseason priorities. Letting a 25-year-old, high-level center reach the open market would create instant demand across the league. Interior offensive line play is foundational to both pass protection structure and run-game efficiency, and stability at center directly impacts communication and protection calls at the line of scrimmage.
From a broader roster-building perspective, elite centers rarely hit true free agency in their prime. While Hendrickson may draw significant headlines, Prisco’s assessment highlights positional value versus positional scarcity. A proven, durable center entering his second contract offers long-term security for a franchise quarterback and continuity for an entire offensive unit. Teams with young quarterbacks or offensive line instability could view Linderbaum as a plug-and-play anchor capable of elevating efficiency immediately.
Looking ahead to March 11, Baltimore faces a strategic crossroads: secure one of the league’s top interior linemen before bidding escalates, or risk watching him reset the market elsewhere. In an AFC loaded with defensive talent and playoff contenders, offensive line continuity often separates January teams from February ones, making this decision one of the Ravens’ most consequential moves of the 2026 offseason.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.