Tag: Matt Skura

Ravens Draft Prospect Profile: Landon Dickerson

The Baltimore Ravens could look to invest even more in their offensive line in the 2021 draft, and Landon Dickerson could be an option

The Baltimore Ravens identified their offensive line as a key need heading into the 2021 offseason. After adding a good guard in Kevin Zeitler, the team most likely isn’t done adding protection for Lamar Jackson, as they’ve seen some of their former linemen in Matt Skura and D.J. Fluker depart for other opportunities. While both Skura and Fluker would most have likely seen their roles in Baltimore decrease this year, the organization can add impact linemen to fill their roster spots.

University of Alabama center Landon Dickerson could be an option for the Ravens if they feel comfortable with his medicals and injury history. When healthy, Dickerson is arguably the best interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class, as he uses his strength, hand power, and awareness to stifle oncoming defenders.

The 6-foot-6, 326 pound Dickerson is technically sound and does a little bit of everything well. He can line up all over the offensive line, but most project him as a center at the next level, the position he played the most during the last part of his college career. Baltimore would gain a great player if they ended up selecting Dickerson, but unfortunately there are some concerns that make teams wary of adding the former Crimson Tide center to their roster.

With Dickerson, his medical history is not pretty. He’s suffered a litany of serious injuries, including multiple different ankle issues and ACL tears. Organizations are reportedly so concerned with what they’ve seen that Dickerson could fall all the way to Day 3 of the draft.

There’s no doubt that Dickerson would provide the Ravens with an immediate starting option on the interior in 2021 and beyond assuming he’s healthy. However, the medical reports are looking to have scared some teams off, especially after having so many lower leg injuries in such a short amount of time. It’s up to Baltimore’s decision makers to determine how comfortable they are with the center’s injury history, but if Dickerson does end up staying relatively injury-free during his NFL career, he could be the steal of the draft.

 

Dolphins sign former Ravens offensive lineman D.J. Fluker

The Baltimore Ravens lost another one of their 2021 free agents. This time it’s D.J. Fluker, who signed with the Miami Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens signed offensive lineman D.J. Fluker to a one-year deal last offseason in hopes that he’d compete for a starting guard spot and could also play tackle if needed. After having his contract expire at the end of the 2020 season, it didn’t seem like there was much interest in Fluker on the open market. However, according to his agent, Fluker has found a new home.

Fluker started in eight games for the Ravens in 2020, filling in at right tackle when Orlando Brown Jr. had to move over to the left side after injuries to Ronnie Stanley. It was an up and down season for Fluker, as he had some bright moments, but also struggled at times. He had some nice moments as a mauler in the run game, but sometimes couldn’t put it together in pass protection against speed rushers.

In signing with the Dolphins, Fluker reunites with former Ravens center Matt Skura, who also signed with Miami. The two will be tasked with protecting young signal caller Tua Tagovailoa, who is entering his second season in the NFL.

Baltimore will see Fluker and Skura in 2021, as the team is scheduled to play the Dolphins in Miami. The timing of the game has not been released yet.

Ravens Draft Prospect Profile: Creed Humphrey

The Baltimore Ravens could look to draft a center in the 2021 draft, and Creed Humphrey would check a lot of boxes for what they need

The Baltimore Ravens had quite the year across their entire offensive line in 2020. After seeing future Hall of Famer Marshal Yanda retire, the team lost Ronnie Stanley for the back-half of the year while also cycling through many combinations of players.

For Baltimore, one of the biggest concerns from an offensive line perspective in 2020 was the snapping issues that their centers had. Matt Skura had an abysmal year snapping the football, and while some blamed it on a cut that was on his snapping hand, it’s fair to question whether it went deeper than that. His replacement, Patrick Mekari, struggled to snap the football effectively in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

One player who Baltimore could look at to help their center woes is University of Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey. Humphrey is a player who’s been linked to the Ravens on multiple occasions, and he would shore up the interior of Baltimore’s offensive line. He started 36 straight games at Oklahoma, and had plenty of success as the anchor of a very good Sooners line.

Humphrey is a left-handed center, something that’s not very common at the NFL level. However, he’s extremely sound in pass protection while also being a great run blocker. He has extreme toughness, both physically and mentally.

While he isn’t the best athlete in the world, Humphrey makes up for it with an extremely high football IQ, which allows him to use his body and skills to his advantage. He also has a mean streak, and doesn’t let anyone get the better of him without a fight (it’s rare that anyone gets the better of him in general). He also makes blocks that some have never seen before.

Humphrey would give Baltimore a very versatile option who can play both center and guard while also being extremely powerful, very technically sound, and a well-rounded prospect. He also has a great first step out of his stance and has elite hand placement.

Overall, Humphrey checks plenty of boxes that the Ravens should be looking for out of a center prospect. Baltimore could take him with their 27th overall selection, but they could also opt to trade down and select the center. It’s unlikely he reaches the Ravens in the second round at pick No. 58, so they’ll most likely have to make a move for Humphrey before that point. If the team thinks that he can take their offensive line to the next level, it wouldn’t be a shock to hear his name called when Baltimore is on the clock in the first round.

Dolphins signing former Ravens C Matt Skura to 1-year deal

Former Baltimore Ravens center Matt Skura will get another chance to start in the NFL, signing with the Miami Dolphins in free agency

The Baltimore Ravens decided to move on from center Matt Skura this offseason, letting him hit free agency. Well, it didn’t take long for Skura to find a new home, signing a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, per his agent David Canter.

Skura had a promising start for the Ravens after going undrafted in 2016. He initially started 12 games in 2017, filling in at right guard for the injured Marshal Yanda. He moved to center the following year, starting all 16 games and showing some promise at the position. Unfortunately, Skura would only play 11 games in 2019 after suffering a devastating knee injury that put him on injured reserve. While Skura returned for Week 1 of the 2020 season on an RFA deal, he wasn’t quite at the same level and with several poor snaps, Baltimore eventually benched him.

It’ll be a chance for Skura to start once again on what is effectively a prove-it deal. Unfortunately, the Ravens have yet to address their hole at center thus far in free agency. Instead, Baltimore signed former New York Giants right guard Kevin Zeitler on a three-year deal. That doesn’t mean the Ravens are fresh out of options, however.

There are still a handful of centers available in free agency and Baltimore could always look to the 2021 NFL draft as a remedy as well. The Ravens could opt to go with in-house options like Trystan Colon-Castillo, Patrick Mekari, or Ben Bredeson at center, or with plenty of depth at guard, they could move left guard Bradley Bozeman over and fill his spot instead.

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Free agent centers still available for Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals lost out on Corey Linsley. Here are some other centers they might target.

The Arizona Cardinals were supposedly in on center Corey Linsley in free agency. However, he agreed to a record-setting deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Cardinals are still prioritizing the center position in free agency, there are still a number of solid options available.

Who could still be targets?


Free agent centers still available for Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals lost out on Corey Linsley. Here are some other centers they might target.

The Arizona Cardinals were supposedly in on center Corey Linsley in free agency. However, he agreed to a record-setting deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Cardinals are still prioritizing the center position in free agency, there are still a number of solid options available.

Who could still be targets?


Ravens pending free agents priority list: Who should Baltimore call first?

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss.

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The Baltimore Ravens played their final game of the season and have made a clear transition into the offseason. Coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta have held their annual season-ending press conferences and some initial roster moves have been completed. But as the Ravens begin the offseason, the very top of their to-do list involves figuring out their own roster and pending free agents.

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss. Who should be brought back and at what cost? Those are the questions only the front office can truly answer as they measure production (both current and potential) against what it’ll likely cost to re-sign them and try to fit it all into a very tight salary cap situation.

But with our general manager hats on, we here at Ravens Wire wanted to take a closer look at who we’d be calling if we were in control. Four of us independently ranked our free-agent priorities — not based on expectations of cost or who we felt would return — but on who we’d be most eager to start negotiations with.

Take a look below to see how we ranked the Ravens’ free-agent priorities and a quick analysis of why we placed them in their respective positions.

6 takeaways from Ravens’ 17-3 loss to Bills

The Baltimore Ravens fell to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL playoffs. We dive into some major takeaways as Baltimore dives into the offseason

The Baltimore Ravens fell to the Buffalo Bills by the final score of 17-3 in the divisional round. It was a disappointing showing for Baltimore’s offense, as the team was held to just three points for the first time since January 16, 2010.

The Ravens struggled to move the ball on offense and squandered what was a pretty good defensive performance. Despite being placed in some bad situations, Baltimore’s defense held Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense to just 10 points, as seven of the points that Buffalo scored came on a pick-six thrown by Lamar Jackson.

The loss marks a disappointing end to a season unlike any other for the Ravens. Injuries, the coronavirus, and subpar play all played a part, but Baltimore fought as a team to make it to the playoffs, where they won their first playoff game since the 2014 season.

Though it’s a difficult loss to swallow immediately afterward, let’s take a look at some major takeaways from the Ravens’ season-ending loss.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh uncertain about C Patrick Mekari’s back injury

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh was uncertain about starting center Patrick Mekari’s back following the Week 16 game vs. the Giants.

After suffering an early back injury against the Giants, Baltimore Ravens’ center Patrick Mekari was sidelined and quickly downgraded from questionable to out. In his post-game chat, head coach John Harbaugh seemed optimistic the injury wasn’t serious, but arguably left us all with more questions than answers given his general uncertainty about the issue.

“His back tightened up on him, so we’ll have to get that looked at and see what it is,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think we think it’s going to be anything that’ll keep him out for an extended period, but we’ll always have to look at a back and see.”

Matt Skura, who had been benched in favor of Mekari after starting the first 10 games this season, filled in admirably to finish the game. But noticeable snap issues reappeared almost instantly, reminding us all why Skura was benched in the first place.

Baltimore has rebounded well in December after a dreadful November performance that put a major dent in their playoff hopes. Mekari, who is likely the Ravens’ answer at center as they look toward the postseason, could be one of the catalysts of that rebound. His consistent play in recent weeks has certainly been critical in a season riddled with offensive line injuries and reshuffling.

His availability moving forward is something Baltimore’s coaches and fans will need to monitor, especially when the competition in the playoffs takes a significant jump from the stretch of games Baltimore has played leading up to them.

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Ravens injuries: C Patrick Mekari questionable to return with back injury

The Baltimore Ravens are down their starting center Patrick Mekari, who is questionable to return with a back injury.

The Baltimore Ravens are playing their most dominant football of the season, beating up the New York Giants so far in the first half of Week 16. But early in the second quarter, center Patrick Mekari went to the sideline slowly. He’s since been ruled questionable to return with a back injury, according to the team’s Twitter account.

Skura took Mekari’s place, seeing the offense march down the field but fail to punch it into the end zone and having to settle for a field goal. While the Ravens are still finding success both on the ground and through the air in this game, the offensive line has unquestionably been better with Mekari in the starting center spot.

Mekari has been spotted on the sideline trying to stretch out the injury, so there’s still some hope he’ll be able to return. But with Baltimore already up 17-0 with less than five minutes left in the first half, it might be wiser for the Ravens to sit Mekari and get him healthy for next week and potentially the playoffs.

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