Daniel Faalele cannot escape his old woes during Ravens OTAs

While the Baltimore Ravens drafted Washington stud Roger Rosengarten in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft to be their right tackle of the future, the starter for the 2024 season is far from set in stone. Rosengarten will be competing with former fourth-round backup Daniel Faalele for that exclusive spot.

The Ravens are typically willing to let mid-round picks marinate on the bench before thrusting them into starting roles, and Faalele could be the next player in that developmental pipeline if he impresses during OTAs. Unfortunately, the 380-pound behemoth seems to be struggling with conditioning.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Faalele struggled to practice in the mid-80s heat at Ravens OTAs, often going down to one knee and eventually leaving practice early. Zrebiec notes that Faalele has had problems with making it through hot practices going back to his rookie season.

Once full-speed practices with helmets and pads kick off and the heat gets even worse during the summer, Faalele's issues could be highlighted. Faalele's make-or-break season has quickly gotten off to a tough start due to his conditioning.

Daniel Faalele struggles at Baltimore Ravens practice

Faalele, who tipped the scales at close to 400 pounds during his time at Minnesota, was always going to be a long-term developmental gamble. The issue, however, is that Baltimore was so unconvinced by what Faalele has done in the last few years that they used prime draft capital on a replacement like Rosengarten.

It's hard to evaluate Faalele's overall play, as he has started just one game in the last two years while working behind Morgan Moses. One thing that has become clear in his limited reps is that he still can struggle with speed rushes. Given his hulking bulk, power was never going to be an issue for him.

While asking for a rest at 380 pounds in the heat isn't a sign of weakness, it will give players like Rosengarten and new addition Josh Jones more chances to show why they should be the starting right tackle. Faalele isn't necessarily guaranteed a roster spot, as all it will take is one undrafted free agent to impress John Harbaugh enough to end his Baltimore tenure.

Faalele has all the physical tools needed to become a first-rate tackle in the pros, but the arrival of Rosengarten will magnify his shortcomings. He is running out of time to stick in the NFL, and a poor OTAs isn't what he had in mind.