Tag: Patrick Mekari

Ravens OL Patrick Mekari reportedly dealing with high-ankle sprain

Ravens offensive lineman Patrick Mekari reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens have had injuries decimate their team over the course of 2021. That didn’t change in Week 7, as offensive lineman Patrick Mekari went down in Baltimore’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with an ankle injury. He got rolled up on while blocking, and went down in a lot of pain. He limped off of the field slowly, went into the blue medical tent, and eventually limped to the locker room.

On Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Mekari suffered a high-ankle sprain, which can be very tricky to recover from.

The injury to Mekari marks yet another offensive lineman who will miss time with an ailment. The team has already seen All-Pro Ronnie Stanley be ruled out for the rest of the year as he underwent another ankle surgery, as well as Tyre Phillips and Ben Cleveland have stints on injured reserve as well.

Mekari could be heading to injured reserve while he recovers, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss the next month or so with his high-ankle sprain. Baltimore will now have to turn to some combination of Tyre Phillips and practice squad players such as Andre Smith and David Sharpe. They could also opt to bring in an outside option at the position.

Bleacher Report names their ideal trade candidate for Ravens

With the trade deadline approaching, Bleacher Report named their ideal trade target for the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens currently sit at 5-1 through six weeks of the 2021 season. They’ve overcome plenty of injuries on their way to currently being the top spot in the AFC, finding quality production from not only their stars, but also from outside additions that they’ve made along the way.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, Brett Sobleski of Bleacher Report put together a list of one ideal trade candidate for each NFL team. For the Ravens, he picked Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins. When explaining his selection, Sobleski mentioned the fact that Baltimore’s offensive line group has been in flux all season.

“[Ronnie] Stanley’s absence created a void on Lamar Jackson’s blind side, which has been filled by veteran Alejandro Villanueva. Villanueva has moved from right to left tackle, and Patrick Mekari took over strong-side duties, creating a tenuous situation.”

He also talked about how Dallas might want to move on from Collins due to the fact that his salary will increase significantly after this season as well as the fact that his replacement has been playing well.

“Meanwhile, La’el Collins has been reinstated after his five-game suspension, yet he might find himself without a starting job. Terence Steele played very well for the Dallas Cowboys to open this season, and considering his improvement and Collins’ salary increase after this year, the Cowboys may consider a move.”

 

Ravens OL Patrick Mekari describes differences of playing certain spots on offensive line

Ravens OL Patrick Mekari detailed what the differences of playing certain positions on the offensive line are

The Baltimore Ravens have had to rely on many different faces to make up for the massive amounts of injuries that they’ve sustained over the course of the 2021 season. One area of the team that has needed to adjust on the fly is on the offensive line, where they currently have a much different starting group than they did at the beginning of the year.

On Tuesday, Mekari was asked about the biggest challenge of moving from the interior of the offensive line to the outside. He mentioned the fact that the defenders that he faces are a lot bigger and stronger, but that it’s a “good challenge”.

“The defenders are a lot different. Obviously, the interior guys are a lot bigger and stronger. The edge guys are also big and strong, but they’re a lot faster [and have] a faster twitch. So, kind of just understanding the opponent and getting your technique down and your assignment down is different. But it’s a good challenge, [and] I’m looking forward to.”

Mekari has filled in admirably at the right tackle spot ever since Ronnie Stanley has been unavailable and Alejandro Villanueva moved from the right side to the left side. The versatile lineman is performing at a very high level, and currently seems to be feeling right at home playing on the outside.

7 winners, 2 losers from Ravens’ 36-35 win over Raiders in Week 2

We look at winners and losers from the Ravens’ Week 2 win over the Chiefs

The Baltimore Ravens came out on top against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, earning a hard fought 36-35 victory in thrilling fashion. The win marked Baltimore’s first win against Kansas City in four seasons, and the Ravens finally defeated their “kryptonite”.

There were many winners in this game for Baltimore as well as a few losers. Players from both sides of the ball stepped up and were key reasons why the Ravens were able to come out with a win.

Below we look at seven winners and two losers for the Ravens in their big victory over the Chiefs in Week 2.

8 players to watch during Ravens’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Saints

8 players to watch during Ravens’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Saints

The Baltimore Ravens will soon have a great chance to see how some of their practice standouts will perform in live game action. The team will face the New Orleans Saints on Saturday in their first preseason game of the 2021 season, which is another step to figuring out who will make Baltimore’s 53-man roster.

There will be plenty of players to keep an eye on over the course of the preseason, especially those who are on the roster bubble. Through a few weeks of training camp practices there have been those who have helped their stock and those who have hurt it.

Let’s dive into eight players to keep an eye on during the Ravens’ Saturday preseason game against New Orleans.

Bradley Bozeman says he’s been practicing snaps ‘a ton’ during offseason

The Baltimore Ravens will have a new center in 2021, as Bradley Bozeman will take over the duties. He said he’s been practicing his snaps

The Baltimore Ravens will enter the 2021 NFL season with a new-look offensive line that features plenty of great talent. New players at the position include guards Kevin Zeitler and Ben Cleveland as well as tackle Alejandro Villanueva. However, it’s a lineman who was with the team last year that could arguably be the biggest key to the unit’s success.

Bradley Bozeman has played left guard for Baltimore over the last few seasons at a decently high level. However, he will be moving back to center in 2021 as he takes over for a multiple players including Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari.

When Bozeman was asked about how much he’s practiced his snaps, he said that he’s focused on that part of his game “a lot”.

“A ton – we just continued to practice. [Offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris] ‘Coach D,’ he’s kept us … Since I’ve been here, we’ve always stayed after and snapped. We’ve always stayed up on our snaps. We’ve always just made sure that everyone was ready for that opportunity when it became available. And no matter who it was, whoever went down, whatever person had to step in, those snaps were always ready. So, continued that tread over the offseason. Got back here and continued to do even more snaps and just trying to get that muscle memory and all that good stuff going. We’re just working away and trying to get it right.”

Many remember the horrid snapping issues that the Ravens had during the 2020 season. There were multiple snaps that went awry from both Skura and Mekari, including one in Baltimore’s Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills that caused quarterback Lamar Jackson to suffer a concussion after chasing it down.

Bozeman played the center position extremely well at the University of Alabama. Hopefully he can transition from guard back to his natural position at the NFL level while continuing to be a big piece of the Ravens’ offensive line.

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.

 

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.

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 vs. Titans injury report: Who’s playing and who isn’t

Which Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans players are in danger of missing Sunday’s wild-card playoff matchup?

The Baltimore Ravens have made the first of their two main goals this season: get into the playoffs. Now they need to beat the Tennessee Titans to advanced to the divisional round — just one step closer to Super Bowl LV. With some luck, the Ravens are getting healthier late in the season and look to have nearly every starter back in the lineup for this playoff game.

Though the injury report was peppered with big names all week long, not a single player missed all three days of practice. That has led to seven players being labeled “questionable” but not a single one “doubtful” or ruled out completely yet. And with Friday seeing the return of cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center Patrick Mekari, and outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue to full participation at practice; there’s hope all three are in fairly good shape to play Sunday.

Take a look below for both the Ravens’ and Titans’ injury reports for the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.