Even with Zach Orr’s news of a return to football, the Baltimore Ravens need to shore up the offensive line before the season.
The news of Zach Orr’s return to the NFL is an exciting one. After his career was seemingly over from a spinal condition, he got a second opinion from doctors and is set for a comeback. There’s no guarantee he returns to the Baltimore Ravens but they are definitely considered a favorite.
There’s been a lot of debate on this subject. Should Orr come back to the Ravens? Is it too much of a risk to bring him back? Will he even choose the Ravens? Even with all these questions, there’s still a big problem. Getting Zach Orr back shouldn’t be the top priority. Yes it would a huge help, but offensive line is still the major concern.
According to Over The Cap, the Ravens have about $5.8 million left in cap space. Orr is set to visit with eight teams right now and the majority have more cap space than the Ravens.
Right now the Ravens have two position battles on the offense line going into training camp: center and right tackle. At this point you would hope to have those positions figured out, that’s not the case. We’ve seen what James Hurst can do at tackle and it hasn’t been great. He’s improved but I’m not sure it’s enough to be comfortable with at the position. Center seems a little more promising with the three-man competition but you still never know. That amount of uncertainty on the offense line is concerning.
Ravens can live with that they have at ILB
There’s still a hole to fill at inside linebacker, but it’s not as a big of need as offensive line. Orr retired in January and the Ravens went into this offseason knowing they had to address the position. That necessarily wasn’t the same for center and right tackle.
If the Ravens were to start the season right now, the duo at ILB would most likely be C.J. Mosley and Kamalei Correa. Correa had a disappointing rookie season but has improved this offseason. He could very well live up to the expectations the Ravens have for a second round pick. As of now it’s his job to lose. The Ravens also have other in-house options. You can’t count out Patrick Onwuasor, who also has some experience playing at the position.
If you have to pick, the defense can afford a drop at inside linebacker over the offensive line. Having a Pro-Bowler in C.J. Mosley allows you to do this.
The Bottom Line
It would be a lot different if the Ravens struggled on defense last season but they were solid. They also made a ton of defensive additions in the offseason to make it even stronger. If this weren’t the case I’d see the desperate need for Zach Orr. But right now, the offensive line has to come first.
We can rave about adding Jeremy Maclin and the weapons Flacco will have, but none of it matters if he doesn’t have time in the pocket. The main reasons for the Ravens struggles was the inconsistency on the offensive line. I think Nico Siragusa and Jermaine Eluemunor were solid draft picks but neither are ready to start on the line this season. Throwing them in the fire won’t help. They will need time to develop.
As far as options go, it just depends on who the Ravens can lure in. Nick Mangold is still lingering as an option at center and Ryan Clady or Orlando Franklin stick out as tackle options.
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If Marty Mornhinweg and the offense want to commit to a balanced run/pass game, they need a solid offensive line to do it. At this point they are weaker on the offensive line than last season and that’s not a recipe for success.