Tag: Ben Powers

2024 NFL draft: Ravens’ 8 picks officially set

The Baltimore Ravens will have eight picks in the 2024 NFL Draft after being awarded a fourth round compensatory pick

The Baltimore Ravens will have eight picks in April’s NFL draft after being awarded a fourth-round compensatory pick for Ben Powers’s departure in 2023 free agency.

The extra pick comes after Powers signed a four-year, $51 million deal with the Broncos last spring.

The NFL announced today that 14 teams have been awarded 34 compensatory draft selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore lost two qualifying free agents while signing one last offseason.

Powers signed a deal worth $13 million a year with Denver, and Josh Oliver signed a deal worth $7 million with the Vikings. The Ravens signed Nelson Agholor, which canceled out the pick they would have received for losing Oliver.

Ravens are awarded a fourth round compensatory pick for 2024 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens were awarded one compensatory pick: a fourth rounder (No. 134 overall) for the free-agent loss of offensive guard Ben Powers

The Baltimore Ravens will have eight picks in April’s NFL draft after being awarded a fourth-round compensatory pick for Ben Powers’s departure in 2023 free agency.

The extra pick comes after Powers signed a four-year, $51 million deal with the Broncos last spring.

The NFL announced today that 14 teams have been awarded 34 compensatory draft selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore lost two qualifying free agents while signing one last offseason.

Powers signed a deal worth $13 million a year with Denver, and Josh Oliver signed a deal worth $7 million with the Vikings. The Ravens signed Nelson Agholor, which canceled out the pick they would have received for losing Oliver.

Eugene Brooks finishes as a top 10 interior offensive lineman in the 2024 class per On3

Eugene Brooks rose quickly to end the year. So much so he finished in On3’s top 10 2024 IOL rankings.

Much was made about the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive line class in 2024. Some were even questioning [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]’s ability as a recruiter and coach.

Although Oklahoma missed out on some of their top prospects, that narrative was crazy talk.

Bedenbaugh has built a reputation for taking guys who aren’t highly recruited and turning them into stars. [autotag]Orlando Brown Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag], [autotag]Cody Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] and [autotag]Ben Powers[/autotag], just to name a few, were all three-star players according at least one of the recruiting services coming out of high school. Four of the five have carved out nice NFL careers, and the other is projected to be taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Still, you hope to land some of the big fish that you are going after. However, one guy who could be an overlooked prospect who becomes the next great one is [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag]. Brooks was once a three-star but shot up the recruiting boards after impressive camps and All-American games. He made the move all the way into On3’s top 10 interior offensive linemen of the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag].

Brooks is a consensus top 185 player in the country and is as high as a top 75 according to 247Sports. All four major recruiting sites have him as a top 10 interior offensive lineman, with 247Sports ranking him the highest at No. 3.

It’s unclear what position he will play at Oklahoma. Many thought he would play guard, but there have been some rumblings that he could be Oklahoma’s next great center. That remains to be seen, as well as how much playing time he will receive in year one.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Broncos’ offensive line took a big step forward in 2023

The Broncos’ offensive line was ranked 21st by PFF in 2022. After Sean Payton made several changes, the unit ranked 7th in 2023.

When Sean Payton arrived last offseason, one of his first big tasks was fixing the Denver Broncos’ offensive line.

By the end of the 2022 campaign, the team’s starting offensive line was Cam Fleming, Quinn Bailey, Graham Glasgow, Quinn Meinerz and Billy Turner. Payton quickly made big changes.

Glasgow was cut and Turner walked in free agency. Fleming and Bailey were re-signed as backups. Garett Bolles and Lloyd Cushenberry returned from injuries and Meinerz was the only Week 18 2022 starter assured of keeping his job in 2023.

When free agency opened, Payton immediately gave big contracts to guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey to give the team a new starting lineup of Bolles, Powers, Cushenberry, Meinerz and McGlinchey.

Pro Football Focus is not infallible, but the website is useful. PFF ranked Denver’s offensive line 21st out of 32 units in 2022. After the 2023 regular season wrapped up, the Broncos’ offensive line was ranked 7th by PFF.

That represents a huge turnaround up front for Denver. Cushenberry is now scheduled to become a free agent, but the Broncos appear confident that 2023 seventh-round pick Alex Forsyth will be prepared to start in 2024.

Cushenberry’s free agent status gives the unit some uncertainty going into the offseason, but a Bolles-Powers-Forsyth-Meinerz-McGlinchey lineup would still be a much better scenario than Denver’s lineup in 2022. There’s always room for improvement, but the Broncos’ offensive line took a step forward in Payton’s first season.

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Ravens projected to receive a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2024

Ravens projected to receive a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2024

According to overthecap.com, the Baltimore Ravens are only projected to receive a single compensatory pick for the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Ravens are expected to net a fourth-round compensatory pick in this year’s draft for losing left guard Ben Powers last offseason. Powers left Baltimore to sign a four-year, $52 million contract with the Denver Broncos following a breakout season in the previous year of his rookie contract.

The Ravens drafted Powers out of Oklahoma with the No. 123 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. After spending his first three seasons as a backup, Powers took over the starting left guard position in 2022 and did not look back, earning a PFF pass-blocking grade of 86.7 for the year.

On the other hand, Baltimore’s potential sixth-round compensatory pick for tight end Josh Oliver was canceled out by the signing of wide receiver Nelson Agholor this offseason.

With a long list of unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market this offseason, including players such as defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, inside linebacker Patrick Queen, free safety Geno Stone, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., running back Gus Edwards, and right guard Kevin Zeitler, and a quarterback with one of the largest contracts in the league on the books now, the Ravens will need every single draft pick that they can get their hands on to maintain a championship-level roster for the foreseeable future.

 

Broncos injury report: P.J. Locke ruled out for ‘Sunday Night Football’

Broncos DB P.J. Locke has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Denver OG Ben Powers and WR Jerry Jeudy are cleared to play.

Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke (ankle) has been ruled out for a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11 after being sidelined at practice this week.

After returning from a two-game suspension, Kareem Jackson is expected to start against Minnesota across from Justin Simmons in Denver’s secondary. Locke started the last two weeks during Jackson’s suspension.

Elsewhere on the injury front, guard Ben Powers (foot) was back at practice Friday and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (hip) fully participated. Neither Powers nor Jeudy have an injury designation, so they have been cleared to play.

The Broncos’ complete injury report can be seen below.

Player Wed* Thur Fri Game Status
DB P.J. Locke (ankle) DNP DNP DNP Out
OL Ben Powers (foot) DNP DNP Limited
WR Jerry Jeudy (hip) Not listed Limited Full
OLB Baron Browning (wrist/knee) Limited Full Full
WR Marvin Mims (ankle) Limited Full Full
OLB Ronnie Perkins (quad) Full Full Full
OT Garett Bolles (ankle) Not listed Not listed Limited
RB Samaje Perine (ankle) Not listed Not listed Limited

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, wide receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is listed as questionable on the Vikings’ injury report.

Denver will hold one more practice on Saturday in preparation for SNF. The Broncos are considered slight favorites against Minnesota this week.

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Broncos injury report: All players cleared for ‘Monday Night Football’

Every player on the Broncos’ 53-man roster is healthy going into Monday’s showdown with the Bills.

The Denver Broncos are in exceptional health coming out of their bye week.

Only two players — outside linebacker Baron Browning (wrist) and guard Ben Powers (ankle) — were listed on the injury report this week, and they both fully participated in all three days of practice.

The Broncos released a final injury report with game statuses on Saturday, and Browning and Powers were given no injury designation, clearing them to play against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

Denver does have eight players on injured reserve — including wide receiver Tim Patrick, cornerback K’Waun Williams, safety Caden Sterns, linebacker Jonas Griffith and tight end Greg Dulcich — but all 53 players on the active roster are healthy going into Week 10.

The Broncos would love to maintain that level of health in the second half of the 2023 season. After a brutal year of injuries in 2022, Denver is in good shape mid-way through the 2023 campaign.

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Broncos injuries: Full participation on Friday

The Denver Broncos come into Week 10 injury-free against the Buffalo Bills.

The Denver Broncos are set to go into their Monday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills at full strength, according to the team’s injury report. Both players listed on the report, linebacker Baron Browning and guard Ben Powers, were full participants at practice Friday.

Browning is coming off a great performance (four tackles, two sacks) against the Kansas City Chiefs after missing the first seven games of the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list (knee).

Powers looks to get back to protecting quarterback Russell Wilson against Von Miller and the relentless Bills defense.

The team hopes to come out of this week injury-free as the second half of their 2023 season kicks off.

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Broncos injuries: Denver is healthy coming out of the bye

All 53 players on the Broncos’ active roster fully participated in Thursday’s practice.

The bye week came at a good time for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are exceptionally healthy coming off the break with all 53 players on the active roster fully participating in Thursday’s practice.

The only two players with injury designations — outside linebacker Baron Browning (wrist) and guard Ben Powers (ankle) — had no limitations at practice. Here’s a look at the team’s full Thursday injury report:

Player Thur Fri Sat Game Status
OLB Baron Browning (wrist) Full
OL Ben Powers (ankle) Full

Should Browning or Powers suffer any setbacks, Quinn Bailey and Nik Bonitto would be among the candidates to replace them at their respective positions. Right now, though, it looks like both players are just getting minor treatment and will be ready to go on Monday.

Denver is preparing for a Monday Night Football showdown with the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. Buffalo leads the all-time series against Denver 23-16-1, including a 48-19 victory in their most recent meeting in 2020.

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Broncos’ offensive line is a concern once again

Granted, one game is a small sample size, but the Broncos’ offensive line play is an early concern in preseason.

Yes, it’s a small sample size. Yes, it’s just preseason.

But the Denver Broncos’ offensive line play in the team’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals last Friday was alarming.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson played well overall, but he was sacked once and hit five times. Wilson was frequently under pressure, just as he was for much of the 2022 season.

This is particularly concerning because new head coach Sean Payton made improving the offensive line a priority this offseason and signed guard Ben Powers and tackle Mike McGlinchey to big deals during free agency.

McGlinchey did not play on Friday because he is sidelined with a knee sprain, but Powers started and he was beaten multiple times in pass protection. Again, it’s a small sample size — Powers is shaking off the rust and was playing with his new teammates for the first time in a game — but Denver will need better play from their new guard during the 2023 season.

Even left tackle Garett Bolles, a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl alternate, struggled against the Cardinals. To be fair to the veteran tackle, Bolles is returning from a broken leg that prematurely ended his 2022 campaign. So perhaps Bolles should be given some grace while he works his way back into form, but the rest of the line has no such excuse.

“We are going to watch the film, break down the film and see what we need to do to improve,” Bolles said after an 18-17 loss.

If the Broncos get to Week 1 and the offensive line is clicking and playing well together, Friday’s shaky preseason opener will quickly be forgotten. Fans in Denver will hope, though, that Friday’s poor performance was not a sign of things to come in the regular season.

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