The Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line was an embarrassment in Week 8. They gave up 28 pressures in their loss to the Buffalo Bills. 28! It can’t look like that again.
Luckily, Vega Ioane is nearing a return. After fighting to be a limited participant last week, he took another step in his recovery from his sprained MCL, logging full participation in Tuesday’s practice.
Ioane’s right on the doorstep of returning. With a hefty brace on his right knee, there's a real chance he could be out there with the other starters on Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Needless to say, this offensive line is desperate for his return.
Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line might receive a much-needed Vega Ioane jolt in Week 9
The offensive line played unwinnable football last Sunday. Injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, and the debut of undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, partially led to higher pressure rates — Buffalo could comfortably blitz the young quarterback as much as they wanted. However, the protection unit didn’t do anything to help. They were a huge negative.
Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten were under siege; John Simpson and Andrew Vorhees were a horrendous guard duo; Cam Jurgens couldn’t maintain his hot start to his Ravens career.
Can Vega Ioane fix that? In an interview after Monday’s practice, he seemed ready to return and be a part of the solution.
“I feel confident [I can play] now,” Ioane said. “We’ll see how practice goes tomorrow. If I’m ready to go, I’m gonna be ready to go.”
Well, he was a full participant on Tuesday. I’d say he might be ready.
If Ioane starts, the upgrade from Vorhees to Ioane can’t be overstated. Starting Vorhees was a disaster in 2025, and his 2026 playing time has yielded similar results. He allowed three pressures in Buffalo and has posted a 45.9 overall grade per Pro Football Focus.
Ioane has been a complete 180 from those woes. He’s quite possibly Baltimore’s best offensive lineman. He had a rough start to his rookie campaign, but he quickly turned that around with sturdy pass protection and devastating run blocking.
Now imagine that with a completely healthy offensive line. We haven’t even seen a full quarter of what should be the starting group the rest of the way: Stanley, Simpson, Jurgens, Ioane, and Rosengarten.
The expectations remain very low for the offensive line. You can’t watch last week’s loss and assume one addition could solve the problems. They need a complete reset.
Still, Ioane’s potential return offers a glimmer of hope. Stanley, Jurgens, Ioane, and Rosengarten have talent. Maybe more time together can help the unit gel into something more bearable to watch and then some.
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