The offensive line performed above expectations for the Baltimore Ravens this season, despite three new starters, but one of those newcomers, versatile guard Patrick Mekari, is ticketed for 2025 NFL free agency, and the team is urged to sign a potential replacement, five-time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff.
It’s a match of player and team detailed by Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. He believes “the offensive line is going to be under a microscope this offseason in Baltimore, as both Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari are looking for new deals.”
The Ravens can revamp the line with Jacksonville Jaguars starter Scherff, who is credited by Dajani as “an interesting addition for Lamar Jackson, and he made the Pro Bowl five times during seven seasons with Washington. Someone save him from Jacksonville.”
Snagging a veteran with Scherff’s pedigree would be a boost for the Ravens if they’re unable to bring back Mekari or All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who’s also set to enter free agency. Yet, for all his talent and accolades, 33-year-old Scherff doesn’t fit the recent youth drive the Ravens have undertaken up front.
Brandon Scherff Still Accomplished in Pass Protection
Scherff can still maul defensive linemen and move the pile with the best of them. He didn’t allow a single sack and gave up just two penalties and 17 pressures across 1,013 snaps at right guard during the 2024 season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Those numbers ought to put smiles on the faces of Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh. They could trust Scherff to protect prized asset, franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry would also welcome the effort Scherff showed against six-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell to spring this run, highlighted by Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn, against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
He remains a capable scrapper as a pass-protector and run-blocker, and Scherff has also stayed durable, playing every game the last three seasons. Scherff’s been an ever-present for the Jags, but he hasn’t played like the dominant force he was in Washington.
The fifth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft made a seamless transition from left tackle to right guard, became a multiple Pro Bowler and was also named first-team All-Pro in 2020.
Joining the Ravens could help Scherff return to those levels, thanks to superior talent around him. Most of that talent has come from the draft, though, and it’s a route DeCosta might still prefer to take for more O-line reinforcements.
Patrick Mekari Part of Ravens’ Successful Youth Movement Up Front
Mekari is part of a successful youth movement for the Ravens on one side of the trenches. An undrafted rookie in 2019, Mekari has played multiple spots, including right tackle and center, but he found a permanent spot this season.
The 27-year-old started every game at left guard, allowing only 1 sack, but yielding 27 pressures and being flagged for 14 penalties, per Pro Football Focus. Mekari might still have played himself into earning a big payday the Ravens would struggle to deliver.
DeCosta is projected by Spotrac.com to have just $8,918,872 worth of space under the salary cap. That may not be enough to re-up Mekari, but it could allow the Ravens to sign Scherff, who is expected to get a one-year deal worth $6.7 million.
A cheaper alternative would be for the Ravens to look for internal solutions, the way they did with right guard Daniel Faalele and right tackle Roger Rosengarten last offseason. That could mean putting Andrew Vorhees into the lineup in place of Mekari.
The 2023 seventh-round pick performed well across 47 snaps against the Cleveland Browns in Week 18, per Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
Another option would be to pursue potential new starters in this year’s draft. It worked in 2022 with first-rounder, center Tyler Linderbaum, as well as for 2024 second-round choice Rosengarten.
Using the draft fits the Ravens style more than adding Scheff, despite the 10-year pro’s enduring skills.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ravens Urged to ‘Save’ 5-Time Pro Bowler Who’d Replace Patrick Mekari appeared first on Heavy Sports.