The Baltimore Ravens have done a lot to prepare Jesse Minter to successfully take over from John Harbaugh, but general manager Eric DeCosta can still do the rookie head coach a solid by trading for a player Minter knows all about, a member of the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks who would fill a significant remaining hole on the roster.
Minter’s Ravens “make sense as a trade partner” for Seahawks’ interior offensive lineman Olusegun Oluwatimi, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson. The latter pointed out how the Ravens “lost Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and did not add a center in the draft. Also, Oluwatimi is from Maryland, and new Ravens coach Jesse Minter was on Michigan’s staff (as was Macdonald) when he finished his college career with the Wolverines in 2022.”
DeCosta’s decision not to add a marquee replacement for three-time Pro Bowl pivot Linderbaum looks increasingly tough to justify. Yet, Oluwatimi would be an equally curious choice to fix a potentially fatal flaw.
Oluwatimi’s struggled to get onto the field for the Seahawks, but he’s still a versatile natural athlete with some upside.
Olu Oluwatimi an Intriguing Trade Target
He has made a mere 13 starts since entering the pros as a fifth-round draft pick in 2023, but Oluwatimi is still considered “a starting-caliber player” by Henderson. Oluwatimi also impressed Sports Illustrated’s Michael Hanich, who rated the 26-year-old as “serviceable as the temporary starting center” during four games last season.
Oluwatimi didn’t allow a single sack, nor any quarterback hits across 312 snaps over the ball, per Pro Football Focus. He gave only eight pressures, so Oluwatimi has the credentials to at least compete to play in front of Ravens franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The former Wolverines O-lineman would surely become one of the leaders of the competition as a 6-foot-3, 309-pounder Minter knows well. There’s also the not-so small matter of the Ravens lacking dominant blockers at the key position.
Ravens Still Searching for Credible Solutions at Center
DeCosta didn’t want to meet Linderbaum’s contract demands. Nor did the GM want to trade up in this year’s draft when two potential replacements were available.
Those decisions were surprising since the Ravens had only added former Indianapolis Colts backup Danny Pinter in free agency. Subsequent low-key moves did little to generate optimism about the Ravens’ post-Linderbaum plans at center, even if the team is making the right noises about its unheralded replacements.
New Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford has talked up a surprising potential successor to Linderbaum, while DeCosta did move quickly to sign a college teammate of top pick Vega Ioane shortly after the 2026 NFL draft.
The depth chart is devoid of strength and elite talent, qualities needed to replace the things Linderbaum did for Baltimore’s offense. Things like regularly pulling into space to be the lead convoy for a myriad of rushing plays in one of the league’s most creative rushing attacks.
As good as he was for the Ravens’ running game, Linderbaum’s primary focus was always keeping Jackson clean. He could get beat by some power-style pass-rushers, but Linderbaum had Jackson’s confidence.
The same faith in replacements who lack Linderbaum’s pedigree and accomplished technique won’t come easy for the most important player for Minter’s rebuild. It means a bargain trade for Oluwatimi is an option the Ravens can’t afford to ignore.
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