Baltimore Ravens reality check: 4 major concerns for 2020 season
By Ian Schultz
Questionable Interior Offensive Line
Anytime you boast the greatest rushing attack in NFL history it is safe to say that the offensive line played a huge part in paving the way for that to become a reality.
It was no different for the Ravens last season as they earned an All-Pro selection from Ronnie Stanley and Pro-Bowl selections from Orlando Brown Jr. and Marshal Yanda. The other most prominent members of the group were Bradley Bozeman, who started all 16 games, and Matt Skura who started 11 games before shredding his knee to pieces and being replaced by Patrick Mekari.
Let’s start with the obvious here by saying that Yanda has retired and that is a monumental loss for this team from both an on the field lens and off the field one. Anytime you lose a team leader, positional group leader, and franchise mainstay like Yanda it is nearly an impossible void to fill.
Next consider that Skura, though ahead of his rehab schedule, will be questionable to be up to speed by Week One against the Browns. Mekari performed admirably, but in the playoff game he was man-handled throughout leaving a crowded pocket for Jackson and contributing to the Ravens lack of success on the ground. Bozeman performed pretty well at left guard and did a nice job holding down the position. Many feel he is a more natural fit at center.
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The tackle spots are currently the only “givens” on this group. Second year guard Ben Powers will be given an opportunity to compete for the starting right guard role but the Ravens weren’t shy in adding bodies along the offensive line. They selected Tyre Phillips and Ben Bredeson to compete for starting roles. In addition, they added a veteran free agent by signing D.J. Fluker.
The good news in the question mark is that the Ravens have a ton of mostly quality options to fill the other three roles on the offensive line. The bad news is that their “givens” have went from three to two from year to year. Certainly Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris can find enough quality from the group to keep the run game rolling along, but a drop-off from this group is to be expected.
The Ravens have enough talent in their backfield to overcome lesser dominance from their offensive line, but for an offense that relies so heavily on their ground and pound style, this is certainly something to monitor as the 2020 season approaches.