Ravens offensive lineman Ben Cleveland, the leading contender for the starting right guard position, exited the practice field early on Thursday after suffering a head injury.
Head coach John Harbaugh said Cleveland’s head was “banged a little bit” and that he would be evaluated Thursday night. It doesn’t sound too serious, but it isn’t easy to be definitive until the diagnostics are done.
If he wins the job, this would be Cleveland’s first season in a starting role. While he started two games last season, he has never started more than four games in a season, and that came in his rookie year of 2021.
The third-round pick out of Georgia is the perfect definition of a “mountain man.” He’s 6-6, 370 lbs, and he hails from Toccoa, Georgia, an Appalachian town of around 9,000 people at about 1,000 feet in elevation.
Cleveland also has the kind of beard and facial hair straight from central casting for a mountain man role. He embodies toughness, so he’ll want to get back on the field as quickly as possible.
Josh Jones is the right guard directly behind him on the depth chart.