The Baltimore Ravens might have an offensive line problem AGAIN in 2026. It won’t be nearly as bad as 2025—that was an otherworldly level of bad. Unfortunately, it could still be a bottom-half group this season.
The offensive front looked fine in their Week 1 preseason win…Week 2 was a whole different story, though. Completely different. They were flat-out embarrassed.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for his blitzes, and lo and behold, he brought the pressure on Saturday. He had the Ravens’ pass protection in a blender. It didn’t matter who it was. They saw almost endless struggles.
Of course, the only true starter against Minnesota was Vega Ioane (and maybe Jovaughn Gwyn). Still, their in-game performance, paired with issues in their joint practices versus the Vikings, is a concerning sign.
This team can’t roll into the regular season with that eyesore.
Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line could remain a massive problem in 2026
At the very least, the Ravens improved their offensive line. Well, they likely did. Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten are back in action at tackle, Ethan Pocic or Jovaughn Gwyn will be a step down from Tyler Linderbaum (but hopefully solid), and the biggest upgrade is at guard.
Baltimore is going from Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees to Vega Ioane and John Simpson. It can’t be overstated how big of a transition that is. That will help end those constant breakdowns along the interior. However, Baltimore isn’t out of the woods.
Ioane is just a rookie. He’s going to experience growing pains and endured some in Saturday’s matchup with the Vikings. No matter how high his ceiling is, he won’t be perfect, and he could be far from perfect.
On the other hand, Simpson is probably barely above-average at best. At his worst, he’s a subpar lineman. It’s good to have a veteran in the room, but he could do more harm than good.
Then there’s the aforementioned replacement for Linderbaum. Oh boy. This could get really bad.
The Ravens signed Pocic to put a band-aid on that void with 97 career starts. Unfortunately, he’s coming back from an Achilles injury, so it’s possible he won’t be ready for the regular season. Even if he is, how good will he be coming off such a serious injury?
Gwyn is also in the running to start, and he’s actually been a standout over the past couple of weeks. The issue is that Gwyn only has 11 career offensive snaps to his name. You’re not going to have much trust in that player leading the way come time for Week 1.
Of course, Baltimore’s offensive line may prove to be solid. There’s potential there, and a line starting mostly backups is bound to get exposed by a Brian Flores-coached defense. Once all five starters are on the field, then we can judge.
It’s fair to be concerned, though.
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