Tag: Andrew Vorhees

Ravens seem to have made their decicison on starting offensive line for 2024 season

The Baltimore Ravens seem to have made their decicison on starting offensive line for 2024 season

Retooling the offensive line has been the highest priority this off-season. Even though John Harbaugh has talked about not having made a final decision on his starters, the Week 1 depth chart seems to have been finalized.

Against the Falcons on Saturday afternoon, Baltimore had Josh Jones (LT), Andrew Vorhees (RG), Patrick Mekari (C), Daniel Faalele (RG), and Roger Rosengarten (RT) as the starters.

When the Ravens line up to face the Chiefs in the NFL season opener, the expectation is that Ronnie Stanley will be at left tackle, and Tyler Linderbaum will be inserted at center.

The Ravens could shift Patrick Mekari to the starting right tackle spot, but all indications are that Rosengarten will win that job as a 2024 second-round pick. Voorhees will enter the lineup after missing the 2023 season with a torn ACL, while Faalele becomes one of the biggest offensive guards in the NFL after shifting over from the offensive tackle position.

This isn’t set in stone, and we’re about ten days from the 53-man roster cutdown and a little under a month away from the season opener, but this lineup looks to be the most efficient group.

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Top photos from Ravens 16-13 loss to Eagles in preseason opener

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 16-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason opener at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens returned to the field for live game action for the first time since their heartbreaking, 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Baltimore hosted Philadelphia at M&T Bank Stadium, with both teams on similar arcs, and championship paths. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out along with key starters on both sides of the football.

Eagles kicker Jake Elliott made a 49-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 16-13 victory after Baltimore quarterback Emory Jones — who had just entered the game — was sacked and fumbled on the next play.

The recovery by Patrick Johnson gave Elliott his final opportunity of the night.

With Baltimore set to start preparation for the Falcons in the second week of the preseason, we’re looking at the top photos from Friday night.

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John Harbaugh says the Ravens starting offensive line is still TBD

John Harbaugh admits the starting offensive line we’ll see Friday night is not the same as the first choice OL once the games count.

We knew entering training camp that the Baltimore Ravens were going to have to break in three new starters on the offensive line. Coach John Harbaugh previously indicated that he had hoped to have the starting offensive line settled by the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, he also implied that if that goal wasn’t reached, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Which is good because the head coach has now admitted that the starting offensive line we’ll see Friday night is not the same as the eventual first choice OL once the games start to count.

Harbaugh said we’ll continue to see a rotation of players throughout the preseason.

“We’ll see most of those guys out there,” Harbaugh clarified.

“I don’t know about this game if every one of those guys will be out there. I’m not sure about the offensive line completely, yet. But, they probably won’t be out there with Lamar.

“But as far as the rest of the guys—we’re pretty young. It’s not like we have a ton of guys not playing over the course of the preseason.

“So, we’ll see all the guys we need to and it will be quite a few guys.”

Reading in between the lines, it appears that the starting o-line will play together at some point this preseason, but we already know that it can’t possibly happen until the preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers.

That’s because one of the two returning starters, center Tyler Linderbaum, is out until then, due to injury.

And given the current timeline for his injury recovery and return, he could face a late fitness test in order to be cleared for that game.

The other returning starter in the group is left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Both guard positions and the right tackle slot are up for grabs.

Ronnie Stanley praises 2nd year offensive guard Andrew Vorhees

Ronnie Stanley praises 2nd year offensive guard Andrew Vorhees

The Baltimore Ravens decided to overhaul the offensive line this year by letting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler go in free agency while trading away right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets.

With three openings on the offensive line now, the Ravens are banking on young talent stepping up and solidifying the unit. One such player is second-year guard Andrew Vorhees who appears to be the favorite to land the starting left guard position.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley was asked about his relationship with Vorhees.

“I think Andrew [Vorhees] is great,” Stanley said. “Ever since he got here, he’s been a student of the game and has just been trying to learn. Even the times he couldn’t really be on the field for practice, he’s been in all the meetings, he’s been here throughout all the offseason, and I come out … I’m very impressed with how fast he’s learning things, how fast he’s getting up to the speed of the game [and] how good of a shape he’s in. Everything is moving really fast for him., but he’s also adjusting really fast, and he’s getting better and better every day.”

Stanley was then asked if Vorhees was performing well with stunt handoffs on the left side of the line.

“Yes,” Stanley said. “There are going to be struggles and passing off twists. That’s why the defensive line runs those twists, because we have to be on the same page – the tackle and guard. Every single time we’ve run it, every single day, [Andrew Vorhees is] getting better and better. It gives me confidence as a tackle, knowing that the guard is going to make sure he’s stopping the penetration – and vice versa – each way it comes.”

Vorhees missed all of his rookie season in 2023 after falling to the seventh round of the draft due to a torn ACL at the NFL Combine.

Andrew Vorhees is getting positive reviews from Baltimore Ravens teammates

Andrew Vorhees is a warrior, and the Ravens are seeing why.

Remember Andrew Vorhees? He didn’t play football at all last season due to an injury he suffered at the 2023 NFL combine. Yet, he was still able to do bench-press reps in spite of his injury. The Baltimore Ravens were impressed. Though they knew they weren’t going to have an instant-impact player for the 2023 season, they realized they might get a player who could become an important piece of the puzzle in the future, and at a great bargain. The Ravens took Vorhees in the seventh round, hoping that once Vorhees fully healed from his injury, he could be a productive player.

That bet is looking really good right now.

Baltimore Ravens reporter and podcaster Sarah Ellison gathered a reaction from one of Vorhees’ Ravens teammates in preseason camp. Nose tackle Michael Pierce is hugely impressed with what he sees in Vorhees. NFL teams are skittish about taking injured players, but in the later rounds of the draft, a lot of teams with offensive line needs could have taken a flier on him, but only Baltimore did. The Ravens stand to benefit from their forward-thinking process at the 2023 NFL draft.

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Ravens Michael Pierce sees a lot of potential in offensive guard Andrew Vorhees

Andrew Voorhees is the clear front-runner at left guard. He’s been spoken about quite favorably, early and often, this training camp.

The Baltimore Ravens are competing for the three new starting spots on the offensive line. The sooner they figure out who the new trio of starters will be, the better off the unit could potentially be.

Andrew Voorhees is the clear front-runner at left guard, as he’s been spoken about quite favorably, early and often, during this training camp.

Nose tackle Michael Pierce scrimmages against the offensive line every day, and when asked about the OL competition, he singled out Vorhees individually for high praise.

“Vorhees is going to be really good,” Pierce said.

“He’s just learning and getting back.”

Vorhees is not technically a rookie, but he will see his first action in the National Football League this season.

A star at USC, he was projected to go somewhere between the late first and mid-third rounds in the 2023 draft.

Then he tore his anterior cruciate ligament at the combine that winter and thus slid way down the draft boards. The Ravens took a flier on him, selecting him in the 7th around, at pick #229.

They knew that he would be a project and that it would be well over a full year before he returned to the field.

With that in mind, there will be some ups and downs with him. It’s inevitable. However, Voorhees was filled with promise before he blew out his ACL.

Pierce is seeing that promise in action every day.

Ravens OC Todd Monken talks about replacing three starters on the offensive line

Ravens OC Todd Monken talks about replacing three starters on the offensive line

The Baltimore Ravens decided to revamp their offensive line this offseason by letting both starting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler go in free agency and trading right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets. The Ravens will have to turn to inexperienced players to protect reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken was asked about setting the first unit of starters and how much offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris will help dictate its appearance.

“Joe [D’Alessandris] has a big voice in that, and we’ve got talent, otherwise we wouldn’t have made the moves we did,” Monken said. “We are still in the business of winning, so the part of that, is that we think those guys can play. We just need to let them go play, and they’re going to continue to develop and get better. All of those young players that have been draft picks that eventually get that opportunity; every player at one time that happens. Whether it was Tyler [Linderbaum] at center or Ronnie [Stanley], other players, they just need the opportunity. We’re excited to let those guys go play and continue to develop. They’re only going to get better, and we’re going to get better with them.”

Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland, and Daniel Faalele appear to be the main competitors for the openings at both guard spots, while veteran swingman Patrick Mekari and rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten compete for the starting right tackle duties. Veteran Josh Jones, who Baltimore signed this offseason, is another name to keep in mind at both tackle and guard.

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Ravens training camp: Top photos from Day 5 of practice

We’re looking at the top photos from Day 5 of Baltimore Ravens training camp practices

The Ravens had a day off from training camp on Thursday but returned to the Under Armour Performance Center on Friday and Saturday for their first two full-padded summer practices. Lamar Jackson returned to the lineup after a medical evaluation for flu-like symptoms. At the same time, the team honored the late Jacoby Jones on the day that family and friends traveled to New Orleans for his funeral services. With Sunday’s practice quickly approaching, here are takeaways and notes from Saturday’s session. ***

Ravens initial 90-man roster arranged by uniform number ahead of training camp

Baltimore Ravens’ 90-man roster at the start of 2024 training camp

The Baltimore Ravens have officially reported to the Under Armour Performance Center for the start of training camp with the first practice scheduled for Sunday morning.

There will be starting jobs and roster spots up for grabs, which should make for some intriguing position battles throughout camp and the preseason.

Currently, the Ravens have 90 players on their roster, and that will be trimmed down to 53 ahead of the start of the regular season, and by August 27.

With training camp underway, here’s an updated look at the Ravenss’ initial 90-man roster at the start of training camp, organized by jersey number.

Do Ravens need to add another offensive guard before start of 2024 season?

Do the Ravens need to add another guard ahead of the 2024 NFL season?

The Baltimore Ravens saw three starters depart on their offensive line throughout the 2024 offseason. John Simpson, Kevin Zeitler, and Morgan Moses are going to new opportunities, while Baltimore has to figure out who will replace them by September.

When listing each team’s biggest need before the start of the 2024 season, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports chose offensive guard as his choice for the Ravens. He mentioned how there’s a lot of unknown in the team’s offensive line unit right now, especially with all of the youth that’s expected to take over.

“Baltimore is currently in a position to start two players along the offensive line who played a combined 191 offensive snaps in the NFL last season. Utility man Patrick Mekari has been able to step into any role asked of him. However, the Ravens traded Morgan Moses to the Jets, and veteran offensive guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Lions. Roger Rosengarten was drafted in the second round as the replacement right tackle and Andrew Vorhees, a seventh-round pick from the prior year, is penciled in as the starting left guard. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has battled injuries in recent years. There is a lot of unknown in that unit.”

As Edwards notes, players like Andrew Vorhees are slated to compete for the team’s guard spots, while rookie Roger Rosengarten appears poised to take over at right tackle. A few veteran options are remaining on the market on the offensive line, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team roll into the year with what they have and go from there.