With a new coaching staff, an upgraded pass rush, and a revamped guard room, the Baltimore Ravens undoubtedly improved this offseason. Still, their center room, after losing Tyler Linderbaum, looked like a glaring red flag that could derail their Super Bowl dreams. Thankfully, the Ravens addressed this final flaw by signing Ethan Pocic on Friday.
Now the Ravens have everything they need to make a long-awaited Super Bowl run.
The Baltimore Ravens have all the makings of a Super Bowl squad after signing Ethan Pocic
Look, Pocic is a downgrade from Linderbaum, and since he's a 30-year-old coming off an Achilles injury, he has some risk attached to him. Regardless, he is a solid starting center, and that's all the Ravens need.
Before signing Pocic, the Ravens were primed to start either Danny Pinter or Jovaughn Gwyn -- two players with a combined 10 career starts. Pocic, who has started 97 career games in nine years, is the far more proven center. Eric DeCosta waited longer than expected to fill this void, but at the end of the day, he found an adequate replacement for Linderbaum.
This, paired with Vega Ioane and John Simpson being clear upgrades from Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees, gives the Ravens an offensive line that they can absolutely win the Super Bowl with.
Last year, opposing defenses made Lamar Jackson's life difficult by constantly pressuring him in the interior due to the poor pass protection that Faalele and Vorhees provided. After signing Pocic, the Ravens have (within all likelihood) done enough for this not to be a regular issue again.
Even before signing Pocic, you could easily talk yourself into this squad being a Super Bowl-caliber one, but the lack of a proven starting center was a major concern. Now there's no strong counter to this claim.
I suppose you could claim that their receiving core isn't talented enough. Nevertheless, Zay Flowers is a solid No. 1 WR; rookies Elijah Sarratt and Ja'Kobi Lane have upside; Rashod Bateman could bounce back, and Devontez Walker is a breakout candidate. Plus, Mark Andrews is still a solid tight end. If you can't tell, I'm not concerned about this "problem."
Jackson has certainly had less help from his pass-catchers throughout his career. With an elite quarterback in Jackson, an unstoppable running back in Derrick Henry, and a suddenly well-rounded defense, the Ravens check a ton of boxes as a Super Bowl-level team.
The point is that the Ravens have a complete team after signing Pocic. It's impossible to be elite at every single position; the goal is to not have any glaring flaws that can easily be exposed. Pocic isn't a star, but he accomplishes this goal.
Ultimately, the stars could be aligning for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl, and Pocic could prove to be the final piece of the puzzle for Baltimore.
Add us as a preferred source on Google