The Baltimore Ravens crossed off most of their needs this offseason, but they certainly didn’t satisfy all of them. The way they handled the center position was polarizing, and at the moment, they don’t have a clear-cut answer.
When Tyler Linderbaum signed a mega-deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, it came as a huge shock. The Ravens lost their franchise center. Many assumed that it would become priority number one. Whether it’d be a trade, signing, or draft pick, most assumed that hole would be solved. Instead, they signed Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter. That’s not exactly a surefire solution.
However, Lamar Jackson seems confident with how the center battle is taking shape. His comments at mandatory mini camp should ease some concerns.
“[Gwyn and Pinter] are competing well—they’re doing a pretty good job, to me,” Jackson said. “I’m liking our choices, for sure.”
Baltimore Ravens’ center question may not be as big a problem as it seems
As long as Lamar Jackson is comfortable with whoever's snapping him the football, Ravens fans should feel comfortable. Of course, Jackson isn’t going to bash his teammates and ring the panic alarm, but it sounds like Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter are off to a good start through the start of offseason workouts.
It’s hard to truly impress at center when the pads haven’t even gone on yet. Live contact isn’t permitted, so lineman play can be tough to evaluate. However, the biggest job for a center is obviously snapping the ball to the quarterback with precision. By Jackson’s brief comments, there shouldn’t be much worry in that regard.
It should also help knowing that Baltimore has one of the better offensive line coaches in their corner. Jesse Minter brought in Dwayne Ledford to join his coaching staff, a veteran leader who coached some very consistent offensive lines with the Atlanta Falcons over the past five years. That’s someone you can trust to develop Gwyn and Pinter into starting-caliber centers.
Ledford also already has experience working with Gwyn. The two were paired in Atlanta from 2023 to 2025. Gwyn got way more involved with the Falcons in 2025, crawling up the depth chart to the point where he was able to earn a handful of snaps on offense. While it was just eight snaps, it was clear that the 27-year-old was developing well, and now, he’ll get the chance to jump into a starting role. Ledford should help him make a seamless transition there if Gwyn wins the starting job.
As for Pinter, he’s the veteran in the room. At 29 years old, he’s been in the NFL since 2020. He’s appeared in 77 games and made 10 starts with the Indianapolis Colts. If the Ravens want more experience, Pinter could be their guy.
While it’s true that there’s a ton of uncertainty between Gwyn and Pinter, Jackson’s encouraging take on the ongoing center battle signals a good start. We’ll have to wait and see if it can continue when the pads go on.
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