OTAs this week

[oldno82]

There's a lot talent on the team. Question is how does creeping age affect Hendrickson, Henry, Andrews, Stanley, etc.? These guys have been defying Father Time and here''s to hoping they have one or two good seasons left. 

This year might be the last year a Super Bowl is attainable with the current group. Next year (this year?) Jackson could be in his last year with the team given the cap situation and that there is no extension so far this year. 

So it's hard to tell if the glass is half empty or half full. The front office, i.e., Decosta, has a lot of work to do between now and the end of camp. So 8 weeks to go for him to produce extensions for Flowers, Jackson, and to decide the Center position.

[papasmurfbell]

Ok think Andrews is a diminishing return.

[tsylvester]

He can be a good teacher for the young tight ends at the least

[papasmurfbell]

He is a waste of cap space.

[oldno82]

If he can't produce, I don't believe Minter and Doyle will play him.

[tsylvester]

Wow, Campbell's brother killed his mother. How so very sad

https://nypost.com/2026/07/01/us-news/mother-of-nfl-star-calais-campbell-found-dead-inside-atlanta-home-brother-ciarre-campbell-charged-with-murder/

 

[papasmurfbell]

10 hours ago, oldno82 said:

If he can't produce, I don't believe Minter and Doyle will play him.

Then you have a pouting Lamar.

[oldno82]

4 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Wow, Campbell's brother killed his mother. How so very sad

https://nypost.com/2026/07/01/us-news/mother-of-nfl-star-calais-campbell-found-dead-inside-atlanta-home-brother-ciarre-campbell-charged-with-murder/

 

A real tragedy...I don't know how you recover emotionally from that.

[papasmurfbell]

Excellent Ravens insider Jeff Zrebiec gave us a great breakdown of the Ravens Center position and doesn’t think the starting Center is currently on the roster: 

“They need to address it… And I keep coming back to Garrett Bradbury.” 

#RavensFlock

[tsylvester]

Won't know until they put the pads on, until proven wrong, my money is on Bullock when he gets healthy this summer

There is a reason they have not made a real move to get one...yet

[oldno82]

I like Zrebiec and he usually has good information. But I too would like to see how the beginning of camp goes. Bradbury is already 29 years old and I don't know what the Bears would considerable reasonable in a trade.

Besides Bullock, we've also got Pinter who deserves a good look.

[tsylvester]

Bullock, according to his the Instagram story, had succeful surgery and is expected to be fine in a few weeks...

[oldno82]

Yep I heard that too. He's supposed to be ready for camp.

[tsylvester]

Nice article on Loane, and a big reason, I contend, the Ravens wanted to move on from Lindy- power

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- During Olaivavega Ioane's pro day at Penn State, no one was knocked off their feet more than Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.

In running the offensive line drills, Ledford decided to hold a blocking bag before the 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard prospect took a rep and it got Ioane thinking. Ioane had already been heavily linked to the Ravens in the first round of mock drafts, and this was his chance to make a strong impression.

"All right, I'm going to use that to my advantage," Ioane remembers saying to himself. "I'm trying to push him on his ass a little bit."

Ioane drove back Ledford several yards and nearly put him on his back, which reinforced his reputation as one of the draft's most dominant blockers. A month later, Ledford was among those advocating for the Ravens to draft Ioane with their top selection.

Baltimore used the No. 14 pick on Ioane, who became only the second guard selected by the Ravens in the first round for a reason. The Ravens believe Ioane's toughness and grit can become the foundation for the Ravens' new-look offensive line.

Ioane is the biggest addition to a line that allowed quarterback Lamar Jackson to get pressured on 37.1% of his dropbacks last season (the worst rate of Jackson's eight-year career). One of the most anticipated days of Ravens training camp will come when Ioane can start showing his power.

"I can tell physicality is his thing," Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. "I'm very excited to see him in camp when the pads get to popping a little bit more."

Ioane immediately lined up as Baltimore's starting right guard from the first day of spring practices. He represents a significant upgrade over Daniel Faalele, whose run block win rate (70.8%) ranked 32nd among guards over the past two seasons and his pass block win rate (93%) was 25th among guards.

During the noncontact workouts, Ioane has impressed coaches with how fast he comes off the ball as well as his professionalism. Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle acknowledged he almost didn't notice the rookie on the field.

"He's in there, and he's a rookie, but he feels like a veteran from his communication or from his relationship with the guys around him," Doyle said. "You can see the athleticism on really a number of the schemes that we're running, as well as in the protection game. He's a guy that is very quiet, but he's hungry to get better."

The challenge for Ioane is moving from the left side in college to right side in the NFL. At Penn State, Ioane played 1,822 snaps at left guard and 296 on the right.

The Ravens decided to put John Simpson, who was signed from the New York Jets in free agency, at left guard and switch Ioane to the right.

"It's definitely a little bit of work to get used to again, but there isn't much to it," Ioane said.

The Ravens showed how much they valued Ioane by how high they selected him. The only other guard drafted in the first round by Baltimore was Ben Grubbs, the 29th pick in the 2007 draft who became a two-time Pro Bowler.

Teams are typically taking quarterbacks, wide receivers, offensive tackles, cornerbacks and edge rushers in the top half of the first round -- not interior offensive linemen. Over the previous decade, only five guards have been selected in the top half of the first round: Quenton Nelson (sixth), Chris Lindstrom (14th), Alijah Vera-Tucker (14th), Kenyon Green (15th) and Tyler Booker (12th).

But, when the Ravens were on the clock, the consensus in the draft room was to select Ioane.

"Vega was my favorite player in the entire draft," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told the team's podcast. "Knowing that Vega was one of the very top players on our offensive coaches' list, it made it super easy for me."

Heading into the draft, DeCosta described Ioane as coming "straight from central casting for what you want your guards to look like." Known for pushing around defenders in the run game, Ioane has been equally strong in shutting down pass rushers. He didn't give up a sack in his past two seasons at Penn State.

Ioane is looking forward to blocking for Jackson, calling it an honor to be his teammate. But Jackson will likely enjoy having someone with Ioane's mindset having his back, too.

"When I'm on the field, nobody is going to stand in front of me and survive," Ioane said. "That's my biggest mentality. I'm out there trying to move people off the ball, make them not get to my quarterback."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49286936/olaivavega-ioane-physicality-foundation-baltimore-ravens-offensive-line