The Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line has a huge hole at right guard after Marshal Yanda’s replacement. But don’t forget about Ben Powers.
The end of an era happened this offseason when Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda announced his retirement. After 13 seasons in the NFL, all with Baltimore, Yanda decided to hang up his cleats for good and spend more time with his family. Through a heartwarming speech at the Under Armour Performance Center, Yanda thanked everyone that helped him have a Hall of Fame-worthy career. But with the press conference over and the auditorium emptying, attention quickly turned to what should happen next.
After a season in which the Ravens’ offense led the league in points scored, broke a 41-year old record for rushing yards, and had their first MVP quarterback, there is now a question mark at the one position Baltimore hasn’t had any concern with for more than a decade. For sure, no one could truly replace Yanda but who would be thrust into those massive shoes?
As we saw last offseason when the Ravens were facing some uncertainty at both left guard and center, it’s not always a new face that’s the best solution. After contentious battles in training camp and the preseason, Baltimore put Bradley Bozeman and Matt Skura on the field for Week 1, where the Ravens’ offense quickly showed their prowess on the ground. On the first play of the game, Baltimore running back Mark Ingram broke through a huge hole and gashed the Miami Dolphins for 49 yards. It wouldn’t slow down much from there and by the end of the season, the Ravens had broken records thanks to an offensive line many had sneered at just months prior.
Entering this offseason, many are falling into the same trap of thought as last season. They’re even ignoring Yanda, who stuck up for his fellow linemen saying he felt he was leaving the group “in a good place.”
“Yes, we’ve got a really good group of guys,” Yanda said at his retirement press conference. “We have a young group of guys that work extremely hard. They’re working and succeeding.”
While the focus of the offseason has shifted to the 2020 NFL Draft, where the Ravens are likely going to use at least one of their nine picks on an offensive lineman, many are forgetting those already on the roster. Namely, guard Ben Powers.
Right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. has already played next to Powers before, both starting at Oklahoma together for two overlapping years. While Brown acknowledged his bias, calling Powers one of his best friends, he wasn’t shy in making a case to reunite as starters with the Ravens.
“In my opinion, he’s never had an issue getting a job or winning a job, he’s always done that throughout his career,” Brown said. “He’s going to give you all he’s got, he’s a workhorse, he’s going to get better throughout a game, he’s going to get better throughout the season, throughout his career.”
In spite of their success last season, Baltimore’s offensive line is made up of guys few wanted. Brown was once considered a first-round option but thanks to one of the worst combine performances in NFL history, he slipped to the third round with concerns about his work ethic. Both Skura and Patrick Mekari were undrafted free agents. Bozeman was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Even Yanda was far from a sure thing as a third-round pick in 2007, acknowledging he once wondered if he “had what it took to play at this level” after Terrell Suggs put him on his back on his first day of practice in Baltimore.
Powers certainly has the pedigree as a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He definitely speaks like he’s made for the Ravens, once saying he loved crushing the dreams of grown men on the field. He even entered training camp as the starter at left guard last season, pointing to Baltimore having some faith in him. It would be foolhardy to dismiss him at this point, yet that’s what many are doing.
Baltimore will have choices, both in the 2020 NFL Draft and in free agency following, to bolster their offensive line. Prospects like Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz, LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry III, Georgia’s Solomon Kindley and Temple’s Matt Hennessy have been frequent picks in the first three rounds of mock drafts for the Ravens. But no matter who ends up starting next to Brown come Week 1, he knows they’re going to be prepared.
“I’m going to make sure I do my best to make sure that I’m ready to dominate and whosever is next to me, I’m sure they’re going to be ready to dominate,” Brown said.
One of Powers’ quotes from his days at Oklahoma resonates with me this offseason. In talking about West Virginia, Powers said, per The Norman Transcript’s Tyler Palmateer, “They always come and start it, and we’re always there to finish it.”
Powers will have a chance to finish what he started last offseason and step into some big shoes in the process.
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