Here are three things we learned about the Baltimore Ravens this season along the offensive line:
1. Orlando Brown Jr. can be a left tackle:
The Baltimore Ravens offensive line would have been a complete disaster if it wasn’t for Orlando Brown Jr. moving over to left tackle. It created a big problem for the right side of the offensive line, which was problematic anyway. One thing is for sure though, D.J. Fluker and Tyree Phillips weren’t viable options at left tackle in the post-Ronnie Stanley injury landscape. Brown Jr. has played rather well at the left tackle spot.
The left side of the offensive line is obviously where the most talent is. Orlando Brown Jr. is a Pro Bowl player for Baltimore and you could argue that Bradley Bozeman should have been one as well. Pro Football Focus has Brown Jr. graded at a 76.5 on the year, which is fairly solid. It’s very solid considering he made the move from the right to the left side of the offensive line.
When Stanley went down it was a real question what the Ravens would do to replace their All-Pro left tackle. If you told me that Brown Jr. would do well enough as a run blocker on the left side of the line, I’d believe you. That’s where his strengths always were anyway.
If you told me that he was going to be an above-average pass blocker on Lamar Jackson‘s blindside, and have some absolutely incredible games, I would have doubted that. Brown Jr. hasn’t just shown us that he can play left tackle, he’s shown us that he can do it at a high level. Brown Jr. is a player with an unfathomably huge frame.
He has all the tools, and that’s not exactly news. What is a revelation is that without Stanley, one of the best at the position, the left tackle position hasn’t stood out like a sore thumb.