The Ravens entered the draft with multiple needs to address, but perhaps none more glaring than the interior offensive line. Selecting Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane with the No. 14 overall pick after previously signing veteran guard John Simpson in free agency put the interior in a much stronger position on paper, but one glaring question remained: Who would play center?
Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta admitted the original plan was to draft a center, but that their preferred targets came off the board before they could pick them. The Ravens instead chose to ignore the position for the remainder of the draft in favor of sticking to their board.
“I do think we’ll have a plan at the position, I feel confident in saying that,” DeCosta said. “I think we have a couple guys here that will compete for that position. But as the Hall of Fame General Manager [Ozzie Newsome] once said, ‘You don’t play games until September.’ And I think we’ll have a great offensive line at that point.”
Baltimore said goodbye to Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum earlier this offseason when he signed a market-setting three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. The expectation was that the Ravens would either sign a cheaper veteran option or select a center early in the draft to replace Linderbaum, but general manager DeCosta did neither. Baltimore left draft weekend with a clearly improved offensive line, but with a massive question mark still at center. What options do the Ravens have left to fill the position for the 2026 season, both internally and externally?
Players already on the roster who could potentially win the starting job include Corey Bullock, Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, Evan Beernsten, and Nick Dawkins. Bullock, a former undrafted free agent, is the likely favorite at this point after a solid preseason showing last season. Pinter and Gwyn were both brought in through free agency this offseason, but neither has much starting experience in the NFL. Gwyn followed new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford from Atlanta, so he could perhaps have an advantage through familiarity. Neither Gwyn nor Bullock played more than 20 snaps last regular season, while Pinter played 139 for the Colts.
Beernsten was Baltimore’s final selection in the draft. While he played guard at Northwestern, a move to center could be in the cards. Beernsten will turn 26 in September, meaning he has plenty of collegiate experience. While the majority of that time has come at guard, he has taken snaps at center in the past. Dawkins was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State. If you have watched Ioane’s film, then you should be familiar with Dawkins, as the duo worked together in the middle of the line. Dawkins’ athletic testing and chemistry with Ioane could benefit him, but expecting an undrafted rookie to start right away is unrealistic at this point.
Veteran options still available on the market are not much more enticing, with Ethan Pocic and Graham Glasgow among the top choices. Pocic suffered a torn Achilles in December, which may take him off the table for Baltimore. The Browns’ starting center earned an overall PFF grade of 63.8 before his season came to an end. Glasgow, meanwhile, finished the season with a 56.8 PFF grade as the Colts’ starter. The 33-year-old’s play deteriorated last season in Indianapolis, but he still may be a safer option than banking on unproven players currently on the Ravens’ roster.
Another option is a position change for one of the guards on Baltimore’s roster. Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones would be the two most likely candidates to make the move. Vorhees had a rocky season as the starting left guard for the Ravens last season, while Jones missed most of his rookie season with a shoulder injury. The 2025 third-round pick out of LSU was expected to compete for a starting guard spot in 2026 before the Ravens added both Simpson and Ioane.