The Baltimore Ravens have always done a terrific job at building competitive rosters. The team is in their 30th season as a franchise, and they rank third in win percentage at 57.1%, just 0.2% the NFL-leading Green Bay Packers.
Still, the front office is not free from flaws. They have had their fair share of draft busts, struggled to get weapons around quarterback Lamar Jackson early in his career, and have had a tough time replacing all-time greats in offensive guard Marshal Yanda and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs since their departures from the team over half a decade ago.
The two legends have left a major void, and despite the team’s recent success, there have been consistency issues across the offensive and defensive lines. Those troubles persist in 2025.
On the offensive line, the guard duo of Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele is one of the worst in the league. On the defensive line, the group has not been able to generate pressure at a consistent rate. Their 12 sacks through 10 weeks rank tied for dead last.
General Manager Eric DeCosta made the effort to fix the pass rush ahead of the trade deadline with the acquisition of outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones, and the momentum started to shift in that area in Baltimore’s Week 10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. However, the offensive line play was once again poor, and DeCosta’s failure to bring starting-caliber play up front in 2025 could lead to the team’s demise.
Eric DeCosta’s failure to address offensive line could spell end to Ravens’ season
While the Ravens’ 2025 campaign looked over after their 1-5 start, they are right back in it after a three-game win streak. However, their chances of making a run this year will be tough due to consistently abysmal play from the interior offensive line.
In Minnesota, the offense did not show up in their usual electric way, but they toughed it out. This was in no way thanks to the play of Vorhees and Faalele, though. The two posted two of Baltimore’s bottom-three offensive grades that day, per Pro Football Focus. Vorhees had the worst grade with a 43.4, and Faalele was not too far ahead with a 53.0. Neither proved to be average or above-average in either pass protection or run blocking.
In terms of the deadline, DeCosta is not necessarily at fault for trading for an offensive guard. Just one offensive lineman was traded last week, as the New Orleans Saints sent disappointing 2022 first-round selection, Trevor Penning, to the Los Angeles Chargers. It sounds like the market for a guard was cold, but a play could have been made over the offseason.
Baltimore let Patrick Mekari walk in free agency, and while he is having a rough time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, their only move to address the position was bringing back Ben Cleveland, who has been nothing but a depth piece in five NFL seasons.
While the cap situation would have been tight, they could have brought back veteran Kevin Zeitler, who signed a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans for $9 million. Instead, the Ravens shelled out $10 million in guaranteed money between quarterback Cooper Rush, offensive tackle Joe Noteboom, and cornerback Jaire Alexander. All three signings seem like busts.
Hindsight is 20/20, and at the time, the move for Alexander, and even Rush in some capacity, was thought to pay off. Regardless, offensive guard has been a massive need, and the front office tried and failed yet again to fill that spot in a cheap manner.