The Baltimore Ravens were left in the lurch at center this offseason after losing 1 of their few reliable offensive linemen when 3-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum left for a 3-year, $81 million free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
In his place are 3 “who is that guy?” candidates battling to replace him, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“The battle for the center position is interesting,” Fowler wrote on August 11. “I entered Ravens camp thinking Ethan Pocic would be the favorite, and though he might still end up winning it, the Ravens are playing this one down the middle with Pocic, Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn. Why I’m not sleeping on Gwyn: He has a long history with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who recruited him out of high school while an assistant at NC State and coached him for three years with the Falcons.”
Ravens Added Ethan Pocic Late in Summer
Pocic was a late-summer addition and seems like the leading candidate.
“Sources: Former Browns center Ethan Pocic, who started 97 games in nine NFL seasons before tearing his Achilles last year, is signing a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on July 17. “Pocic is said to be healthy, and he will have a chance to replace former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed with the Raiders.”
Pocic, 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, signed a reported 1-year, $4.5 million contract with the Ravens, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He’s started 97 games over 9 NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and Browns.
“The Ravens had somewhat of an open competition at center heading into training camp,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer wrote on X. “Lamar Jackson is a better presnap player than people give him credit for (a lot of disrespect going around lately actually) but there was no denying the loss of Linderbaum’s intelligence was going to impact protections to some degree especially in a new offense. Now a veteran center enters the mix.”
‘No Brainer’ to Sign Ethan Pocic After Injury Update
The Ravens had a clear path to signing Pocic after he received medical clearance for training camp. Pocic tore his Achilles tendon late in the 2025 regular season.
“Browns starting center Ethan Pocic, who tore his Achilles last December, recently was cleared by Dr. Norman Waldrop to participate in training camp. Pocic is a free agent, and is said by a source to be ‘full go,’” Schefter wrote on his official X account on July 15.
“Feel like it’s a no-brainer for the Ravens to bring (Pocic) in for camp,” Elite Takes wrote on its official X account.
Pocic has $26.8 million in career earnings and started 13 games for the Browns before his injury, which came in the final season of a 3-year, $18 million contract.
Pocic was a 2-time All-SEC selection and All-American at LSU before the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the 2nd round (No. 58 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.
He became a full-time starter as a swing guard for the Seahawks as a rookie and made the NFL All-Rookie Team, but only played 14 games over the next 2 seasons due to injuries.
In 2020, he became the full-time starter at center for the Seahawks and stayed there until he signed a 1-year, $1.18 million “prove-it” free-agent contract with the Browns in 2022. He turned that into his 3-year, $18 million contract in 2023.
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