Late for Work: Jeff Zrebiec Identifies…

Center has been a position of strength and stability for the Ravens after drafting Tyler Linderbaum in the first round in 2022. Linderbaum only missed two games and made three Pro Bowls during his four sessions in Baltimore.

After Linderbaum signed a market-shattering deal with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, who would replace him was one of the biggest questions for the Ravens.

First-round pick Vega Ioane, who was drafted to be a plug-and-play starter at right guard, wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card to be the one snapping the ball to Lamar Jackson, and yet here we are.

Ioane was forced into emergency duty at center in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro after the Ravens lost both Jovaughn Gwyn (ankle) and Ethan Pocic (knee) to long-term injuries. The Ravens’ run of bad luck at center began in August when projected Week 1 starter Danny Pinter suffered a torn patellar tendon that ended his season.

Head Coach Jesse Minter said Ioane will be prepared to start at center when the Ravens host the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, but with no centers on the practice squad, the team has to find a long-term starter and address the lack of depth at the position.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec said the situation is at a crisis point.

“Playing Ioane at center is not an ideal long-term solution because of what the Ravens lose by not having him at right guard,” Zrebiec wrote. “However, finding outside help is complicated by the fact that a number of teams are dealing with center injuries, so there’s not much available on the free-agent market.”

Zrebiec named James Daniels, Graham Glasgow, Andre James, and Nick Harris as potential free-agent options.

“Those guys have not been with teams in recent months, so they’d presumably need extended ramp-ups before they are ready to play,” Zrebiec wrote. “The Ravens probably need more immediate help.

“The Ravens will likely scour other rosters and practice squads, along with available free agents, to see if they can find a decent center fit at an affordable price. They also have the option of committing to Ioane at center for the foreseeable future and just adding a starting-caliber guard to join Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr. as potential right guard replacements.”

Zrebiec identified Chicago Bears center Garrett Bradbury as an “intriguing potential trade option.”

“The Ravens inquired about Bradbury, who played under Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford at North Carolina State, after the Bears used a second-round pick on Iowa center Logan Jones in the 2026 NFL Draft,” Zrebiec wrote. “The Bears, though, didn’t want to give up their offensive line depth, so the Ravens turned to Pocic. It’s unclear whether Chicago’s stance has changed.”

Bradbury, 31, has taken every snap this season. Jones has played exclusively on special teams.

Jackson Named Early MVP Front-Runner

Jackson showed why he’s a two-time MVP with his performance against the Cowboys, and ESPN’s Ben Solak thinks Jackson could be on his way to MVP No. 3.

Solak noted that Jackson is playing at an MVP level even with an injury-depleted offensive line and No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers (hamstring) being sidelined for the second half in Week 1, sitting out Week 2, and being limited to 15 routes in Week 3.

“Jackson is holding together an offense that is predictably volatile in its first three games of a complex Declan Doyle system,” Solak wrote. “Jackson is accounting for serious personnel deficiencies on the interior and at pass catcher. This is what elite quarterbacks do, and it’s what MVPs do.”

Jackson’s 27-yard strike to Flowers that set up Tyler Loop’s game-winning field goal with one second left in the Cowboys game is understandably the play everyone is talking about, but Solak said Jackson’s 2-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Matt Hibner that gave the Ravens a three-point lead with 1:30 remaining is also deserving of praise.

“Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle dialed up a nice snag concept from three tight ends in the low red zone, and he gets a bust from the Cowboys’ defense, ” Solak wrote. “Two defenders run with rookie tight end Josh Cuevas (No. 85), leaving fellow rookie tight end Matt Hibner (No. 88) open on the snag route for just a moment. Only … he’s not open. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham (No. 55), who initially looked to be pressuring, is lurking off the line of scrimmage and ready to pounce on the ball. If Jackson throws this ball fast to Hibner, who appears to be open, Barham has a great chance to pluck it out of the air and end the game.

“So Jackson gives the slightest little pump, and while pumping, pulls Barham a little further toward Hibner. There’s a free rusher in Jackson’s face, but the threat of the QB’s escapability delays the rush. Now he can reload quickly (Jackson’s pump fakes are particularly devastating because he has a compact release and can get out of his pumps wicked fast) and throw a softball over Barham while pulling Hibner away from coverage. This play looks so easy and so simple — but only because Jackson makes it so.”

Pundit Says Thriller in Rio Was Ravens’ ‘Best Win in a Very, Very Long Time’

The day after the Ravens’ epic win in Rio, pundits talked about how meaningful it was for a team with a recent history of squandering double-digit leads.

“Probably the best win for the Ravens franchise in a very, very long time,” “Good Morning Football’s” Manti Te’o said. “This wasn’t just a monkey off their back, this was King Kong off their back.”

ESPN’s Mina Kimes said: “I think this was such an important win for Baltimore. … I’m watching this and thinking, ‘Oh, another [blown lead]. And for them to pull out the win … to me, for Jesse Minter, who last week they obviously blew the lead, that is a very significant moment in this young coaching career for the Ravens. Instilling belief, not just amongst the fan base, but the team, [that] we are not that team anymore.”

The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker said that as satisfying as it was for the Ravens to pull off such a thrilling and improbable victory, its significance is still to be determined.

“Have the Ravens cast off seven years of evidence that they’re shaky in the clutch?” Walker wrote. “It’s premature to go that far. They’ve won plenty of dramatic games in that span, only to revert to their worst habits at inopportune times.

“They’ll have to build on this for us to regard it as anything more than a wonderful one-off. But the Ravens will come out of this experience with ample reason to believe in their own resilience. If the season ends where they want it to, in the Super Bowl on Valentine’s Day, we’ll talk about this victory as an early indicator.”

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