The Ravens offseason started off great with a move to fix the offensive line by signing Kevin Zeitler. But it is going to take more than that.
Lamar Jackson‘s big extension is coming. Whether it happens this season or next season is still to be seen, but it’s coming. We need to get him more help on the line for sure.
How do we do that?
Well, we already started. And we do have some capable young guys on our roster, like Tyre Phillips, Ben Powers, etc. I just don’t think they are ready to be full-time starters.
Switch Bradley Bozeman to Center:
We should switch Bradley Bozeman back to the position that he played at Alabama, center. We had snap issues with Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari last season. I think we should give Bradley Bozeman a chance because he played that position well. In fact, he was Alabama’s starting center when they won the National Championship.
Lamar Jackson already trusts Bradley Bozeman. Why not put him at the position on the line that is giving him the ball. He is still young, but he has done well when starting as a guard. Why wouldn’t he also do well at the position he played in college?
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What would the team do at left guard then?
There are different options. I mean, we could technically start Ben Powers or Tyre Phillips. But I don’t think that is the best course of action. We could draft someone, like Wyatt Davis for example. The good thing about him is that we could probably get him in the second round. He also has experience at tackle.
That would make him a possible back-up option at tackle too if Orlando Brown Jr. is traded. Though, I have another idea that I find to be better. Bring back Kelechi Osemele on a cheap deal. We have young guys and we will surely draft more young guys. You can never have too many young offensive linesmen to develop.
With that being said, you also need veterans to help them develop. Kelechi Osemele played on the 2012 Ravens Super Bowl team. I would love to bring him back this Ravens offseason. Before his injury in Week 5 of the 2020 season, he didn’t give up a single sack in 282 snaps. The injury and his age (31) would allow us to get him on a cheaper short-term deal.
What if the team trades Orlando Brown Jr.?
One way or another, offensive tackle is going to be a need for the Ravens.
Honestly, I think that we should if the offer is right. We are going to lose him next season anyway because we can’t start him at left tackle over Ronnie Stanley. The most we can get for him is a third-round compensatory pick, which we wouldn’t get right away. I know that the Ravens love comp picks, but I’d rather have a first-round or a second and third-round now for him.
We also love signing players that have been released. So, a solution to this if we trade Orlando Brown Jr. is to bring back Ricky Wagner (who was released by the Packers). He played well when he was here. Maybe, we consider doing it anyway just in case.
He is another veteran we could get on a pretty cheap deal. And his PFF grade last season was 77. He gave up one sack on 608 offensive snaps. Wagner did miss a few games due to a knee injury last season. That would make the price a bit cheaper most likely.
If we do all of these things, our starting 2021 offensive line would look like this:
- Ronnie Stanley – LT
- Kelechi Osemele – LG
- Bradley Bozeman – Center
- Kevin Zeitler – RG
- Ricky Wagner – RT (or Orlando Brown Jr. if we don’t trade him).
We would also be able to develop the young players we have and the ones we draft. I would say this would be viewed as a successful Ravens offseason for the offensive line.