The Ravens still have to figure things out at the center position:
The Ravens 2021 offseason is off to a great start! We immediately beefed up the offensive line by signing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler. What else needs to be done to effectively fill the voids on both sides of the ball?
We must consider what we can afford to fix in free agency. The rest has to be taken care of in the 2021 NFL Draft.
I will leave the “figuring out the money” part up to the Ravens’ front office because there are many ways they can manipulate the cap. However, I don’t see the Ravens spending too much money on any one player this offseason.
What can the Ravens do about their issues at center?
Ever since his injury in Week 12 of the 2019 season, Matt Skura hasn’t played the same. He had snap issues and ended up getting benched. Then, in the playoffs, Patrick Mekari ended up having snap issues too. Maybe the bad weather had something to do with it. Or maybe Mekari wasn’t used to having fan noise play a role in the game.
It doesn’t really matter what the reasoning is. The Ravens need to figure something out at the center position. I don’t see them bringing Matt Skura back. And I don’t see Mekari being the starter next season. Your offense can’t be productive if the ball isn’t being snapped well.
Is this something we fix in free agency or the draft? Or do they do it in-house by shifting Bradley Bozeman to center?
Option #1: Switch Bradley Bozeman to center
Bradley Bozeman was the starting center for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2016 and 2017. He started for them when they won the National Championship in 2017.
At the end of the season, Eric DeCosta wouldn’t give an answer in his press conference about whether Bozeman is the answer to Baltimore’s issues at center.
"“I would defer to the coaches on Bradley…Bradley’s played center, but we’ll play who we think should play at that position.”"
I personally feel that it makes sense. Bradley Bozeman is someone that Lamar Jackson already trusts. He has experience playing center for a successful team in college. And he has done well so far playing left guard. This leads me to believe he would play even better at center.
It would certainly make the Ravens 2021 offseason that much easier if they already had their future center.
But…
Option number two: Get a center in the 2021 NFL Draft
Baltimore could draft a center. But with the snapping issues they had is bringing in someone young and not yet experienced in the NFL really the answer?
Maybe we take Landon Dickerson or Creed Humphrey in the first round? Or the Ravens get lucky and they fall to them in the second round. I mean, depending on what mock draft you look at it, both options are possible. I don’t really want to take a center in the first round, though. I don’t think that would be the best player available.
Another possibility is to draft someone like Trey Hill at the end of the third-round or in the fourth-round. This option allows us to avoid risking a day one or day two draft pick on a center that may not pay off. Baltimore would have Patrick Mekari, Trystan Colon-Castillo, or even Bradley Bozeman to fall back on if this didn’t work.
As far as the draft goes, any of these options are okay with me. I just don’t believe the draft is necessarily the right way to tackle the issues at center.
The way I see it is that bringing someone else young in may end up having a similar effect. They may not be experienced enough to be consistent and reliable throughout the entire season. Honestly, if they are going to go that route, they might as well give Patrick Mekari or Trystan Colon-Castillo a chance to battle it out for the starting position.
I believe the draft will be a vital part of the Ravens 2021 offseason strategy, but I don’t know that it is the best option for fixing our issues at center.
Option number three: Bring in a veteran center.
Look, I am not saying option number one couldn’t work. I trust Bradley Bozeman. I think he has a bright future in the NFL, hopefully on the Baltimore Ravens. But maybe it’s best that we keep him where he is. At least for now.
I’m also not against option number two. We can never have enough young players on our offensive line. Good offensive linesmen are expensive and hard to come by. They also can get injured out of nowhere, just look at Ronnie Stanley. Injuries don’t discriminate, no matter how good you are.
But do you think maybe the issue is that when Marshall Yanda retired, we lost that valuable veteran leadership on our offensive line? I am sure that Kevin Zeitler will bring some of that veteran leadership to our interior offensive line.
However, I believe that Patrick Mekari and Trystan Colon-Castillo both have potential. They just need someone with experience to help them develop. That makes someone like Alex Mack the perfect man for the job.
I know that he is 35 and getting up there in age, but he has the experience. He is reliable. In 972 snaps last season, he gave up one sack and only had three penalties. Having Alex Mack around would really help Mekari and Colon-Castillo grow as players.
The best part? Over the Cap has his valuation at $4.2 million. We can afford that and it would be worth every penny. I think veteran signings (especially those who have been cut from their previous team) will be a big part of the Ravens 2021 offseason.
There’s also a recent cut by the Las Vegas Raiders, Rodney Hudson. He had a PFF grade of 73.6 last season. He may be too pricey for us, but we will have to see. This free agent signing would allow us to avoid affecting the compensatory pick formula.
What option do you like?