Lamar Jackson may have had his best season yet this past year, playing behind arguably the worst offensive line of his career. And while it is exciting to watch him run sideline to sideline and dodge defenders before finding Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Zay Flowers, or Rashod Bateman downfield, it is not a sustainable style of play for the Baltimore Ravens and Todd Monken's offense.
They can't ignore these deficiencies.
The Ravens have two linemen with expiring contracts: Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari. Stanley's new deal should be announced any day (or hour) now, but every moment pen is not to paper, the fear of him leaving for a team like the Kansas City Chiefs grows. Mekari has been another great option for the Ravens, being able to play all across the line, and while his versatility is admirable, he's probably not a legitimate starter.
Roger Rosengarten is going to be a stud. He had some rough moments early in the season while adjusting to the NFL game, along with the questionable decision to have him split time with Patrick Mekari, but by the end of the year, he proved he could be a rock-solid presence on the edge. Tyler Linderbaum is already on the path to being a perennial Pro Bowler. As of now, though, those are the only two surefire starters expected to be on the line come Week 1.
The Chicago Bears have already started addressing one of their biggest issues, the offensive line, to accelerate Caleb Williams’ growth under new head coach Ben Johnson. They traded for Jonah Jackson and made an even bigger splash by acquiring Pro Bowl selection Joe Thuney from the Chiefs.
So what can the Ravens do?
Well, first of all, they need to close the deal with Stanley. There are some good names in free agency, so let’s talk about a few. How about Kevin Zeitler? Just two seasons ago, he was a Raven, and he knows what it takes to block for Jackson—not to mention, he’d be a solid veteran presence. Mekhi Becton? He moved over to guard this past season and was part of a record-setting, Super Bowl-winning offensive line. He also played with Jackson at Louisville. And of course, there are always gems in the draft.
And you can bet the Ravens are doing their homework. It's like Eric DeCosta joked at the combine, "I thought EDC stands for every draft counts." He and the front office need to make sure of that.