Ravens’ best answer at center position may already be on the roster

The Baltimore Ravens' offensive line looks dramatically different from the one we saw a year ago. Honestly, that's a good thing. Replacing Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees with John Simpson and Olaivavega Ioane feels less like a tweak and more like a statement. Baltimore got tougher. They got more athletic. They have stabilized the offensive front... somewhat.

The guard situation, once viewed as a weakness, suddenly looks like one of the better interior combinations in football. Vega Ioane is a stud. During free agency, they reunited with John Simpson. He's probably better than Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees, but there’s still one obvious question lingering over everything. Who replaces Tyler Linderbaum?

The 2026 NFL Draft came and went. Many assumed Baltimore would address the center position during the selection meeting. They didn’t. There are arguments that the board led them elsewhere, and discussions suggest they had opportunities. Either way, what's done is done. That decision sparked immediate conversation because while the Ravens upgraded elsewhere, they also lost the anchor of their offensive line. Linderbaum wasn’t just another starter. He was the communicator, the tone-setter, and the stabilizing force in the middle.

Why Nick Dawkins makes sense

The Ravens' center competition includes Corey Bullock, Jovaughn Gwyn, Danny Pinter, and perhaps most intriguingly, undrafted rookie Nick Dawkins. At first glance, it feels like the decision to ignore a center in the draft opens the door for Bullock and Gwyn. It also seems Dawkins is the long shot, but that may be misleading. He arrives from the carrying something none of the others can claim. He has built-in chemistry with Ioane. That matters more than people think.