Baltimore Ravens: Offensive line ranked #4 in 2017 by NFL.com
By Joe Schiller
Even after a multitude of injuries, the Ravens’ offensive line held together to become of the NFL’s top units in 2017.
It wasn’t how John Harbaugh and the coaching staff drew it up, but the Baltimore Ravens made the best of what they had on the offensive line last season. Season-ending injuries to starter Alex Lewis (shoulder), rookie Nico Siragusa (knee) and All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda (ankle) took its tool. Yet, it was the offensive line that dominated in the trenches for 16 weeks.
Under new offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, the offensive line helped produce the 11th best rushing attack and kept Joe Flacco upright in the pocket, allowing just 27 sacks. Their performance didn’t go unnoticed by the national media.
NFL.com’s Matt Harmon ranked the Ravens’ offensive line as the fourth best unit in 2017. Here’s what he had to say:
"The Ravens’ offense wasn’t a consistently threatening unit this past season, but that wasn’t due to poor play across the front line. Despite losing one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL inMarshal Yanda (ankle) early on, Baltimore was still a top-12 rushing offense and was one of nine teams to allow fewer than 30 sacks on the year. The team’s proficiency as run blockers despite missing Yanda for the majority of the season was especially impressive. Baltimore’s running backs gained an average of 0.47 yards before defenders closed within 1 yard in 2017, ranking eighth. The great work by the offensive line helped spring Seahawks castoff Alex Collins to a near 1,000-yard campaign after getting an early-season promotion from the Ravens’ practice squad."
It’s cliche to say, but the offensive line is always the unit that never gets the credit they deserve. It’s one of the only positions where individual statistics don’t show up on the stat sheet. Just about everything they do is to benefit the skill positions.
Compared to a team like the Dallas Cowboys that bolsters numerous All-Pros, you won’t find that on the Ravens’ offensive line. That’s not discrediting a player like Matt Skura or James Hurst but they aren’t household names. Yet, it was the chemistry and cohesiveness of the Ravens’ offensive line that was a huge part of their success. For a unit that was pieced together because of injuries, they functioned like a well-oiled machine.
The next-man-up mentality worked to the Ravens’ favor. Ronnie Stanley was really the only consistent starter that returned from the 2016 season.
Signing Austin Howard to replace Rick Wagner wasn’t a glamorous move but a crucial one in that. He started all 16-games at right tackle. After John Urschel’s surprise retirement, Ryan Jensen stepped up as a career backup and became one of the NFL’s top centers. He’s now a coveted free agent this offseason. Lets also not forget the versatility of Skura and Hurst at guard, who shored up the interior of the offensive line.
It was an unorthodox group, but it worked. The credit belongs to the executives in the front office all the way down to the players on the field.
Next: Baltimore Ravens: 3 things to look forward to in 2018
The Ravens didn’t reach their ultimate goal of making the playoffs, but they can be confident in the presence of the offensive line heading into a new season.