The Baltimore Ravens continued their tradition of finding value where other teams aren't, inking veteran center Ethan Pocic to a one-year deal. The plan is to eventually have Pocic replace former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum when he's fully healthy and ready to roll.
This decision rubbed one fan base the wrong way. Levi Dombro of Just Blog Baby, FanSided’s Las Vegas Raiders site, felt that the Ravens’ signing of Pocic was a direct shot at the silver and black —particularly Maxx Crosby. As we know, Crosby was supposed to be a member of the Ravens’ defense before the team backed out of the deal.
Las Vegas Raiders fans think Baltimore Ravens are hypocrites after Ethan Pocic signing
Dombro's argument was that the Ravens, who clearly didn't have faith in Crosby's ability to stay healthy, then brought in Pocic, who is recovering from a torn ACL. He wondered out loud why the Ravens signed Pocic but didn't feel confident in Crosby before later answering his own question.
"To be fair, signing Pocic to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million is a bit different than wagering two first-rounders and $35.5 million per year on Crosby. And, for what it's worth, Pocic's doctor said that he is cleared and can participate in training camp, even if the Ravens are still awaiting a physical. However, Crosby is a way better player, and his doctor also said that he would be cleared by training camp," Dombro wrote. "The fact that the Ravens are signing an injury-prone 30-year-old coming off an Achilles tear to replace Linderbaum is just purely disrespectful to the Raiders after the ringer that they put Las Vegas through this spring. Baltimore continues to make itself a bigger enemy to Raider Nation."
Stepping outside the Ravens fan outlook, this take makes sense. The Ravens brought in an injury-prone player to replace one of their best players could be looked as a confusing move.
On the other hand, Dombro pointed out that Pocic is on a bargain contract so the Ravens didn't have to give up much to land him. He's also a proven player at a position of need so why not take that chance? Crosby is a talented player, no doubt, but the Ravens clearly saw their error of their ways in what they had initially given up for him and went back on the deal. That's obviously still something that has Raiders fans upset.
Ravens fans will need to get used to Raiders fans finding any excuse to point the finger at them. All that matters is that Baltimore's moves pan out and the team rebounds in a big way in 2026.
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