Ravens top five position battles to watch for in training camp: Right Guard edition
The Baltimore Ravens are among the teams with most continuity in the entire league with the immense amount of carryover on both the roster and the coaching staff from last year’s squad that finished with a franchise-record 14-2 record in the regular season. They will be returning nearly all of their starters on offense and defense from 2019, yet there will be a handful of starting spots and key roles up for grabs in training camp that is set to being at the end of the month.
With the offseason having been condensed by the COVID-19 pandemic, veteran players with a year or more of experience in the Baltimore’s system or the league, in general, might have the early advantage over some of the rookies that they will be competing against.
However, several Ravens coaches have been raving about the incredible metal aptitude of their rookies both drafted and undrafted in virtual meetings and can’t wait to get them on the field so nobody should be counted out at this point and there could be some first-year players that close the gap and pull ahead quicker than anticipated even given the abnormally adverse circumstances that have proceeded their inaugural seasons in the league.
Here is the first edition of a five-part series breaking down the top five position battles that will take place in training camp and the preseason—if there is one:
Right guard–
With the retirement of eight-time Pro Bowler and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Marshal Yanda earlier this offseason, this is shaping up to be the fiercest and most important in all of camp. Replacing a player like Yanda, who was a pillar on the team on the field and in the locker room for 13 years is impossible, but his departure leaves a significant vacancy on the interior of one of the best offensive lines last season.
The top internal candidate prior to free agency and the draft was 2019 fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma Ben Powers. After getting beat out for the starting left guard position in training camp and the preseason last year, he was inactive for all but one game as a rookie. However, in the one game that he did appear in was at right guard in the regular-season finale against the Baltimore’s bitter division rival Steelers. He received the highest grade of any Ravens’ player in that game as he helped the offense break the single-season team rushing record.
Players make the most significant jump from their first year in the league to the second, and even though he missed out on having his first full offseason, Powers could still have an edge in the competition because he’s been entrenched in the system for a year whereas the other candidates haven’t even taken the practice field as Ravens yet.
In the draft, the Ravens picked up a pair of offensive linemen by selecting Tyree Phillips in the third round out of Mississippi State and Ben Bredeson in the fourth out of Michigan. Phillips played left tackle in college, but the Ravens believe he projects better as an interior player at the pro level and will have him compete at guard.
It worked out well with Kelechi Osemele in 2012 when he helped them win a Superbowl as a rookie starting at left guard. He was a massive mauler in the run game, solid in pass protection, and cashed in with the Oakland Raider in free agency before blossoming into a two-time Pro Bowler. Phillips possesses similar traits in both size and strength and the Ravens would love to see him realize his full potential like Osemele did.
Bredeson is being slept on and is viewed as a dark horse candidate to start but a solid back up at best but he shouldn’t be counted out just yet. He was a four-year starter for the Wolverines and what he lacks in ideal size, athleticism, and desired measurables he makes up for by being technically sound at his craft.
Last but certainly not least is veteran free-agent acquisition DJ Fluker who the Ravens agreed to terms with back on April 28th and officially signed on the dotted line on May 11th. General manager pounced on the opportunity to bring in the former first rounder out of Alabama by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2013 just two days after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks. Even though he is new to the team, he has more experience than all of the other candidates put together with 88 career starts under his belt with three different teams. At 6-foot-5 and 342 pounds he moves extremely well for someone of his size and knows how to use his hulkish strength to be a road grader in the running game.
Many believe that Fluker is the early favorite to win the starting spot, but no one can be counted out in the running until a final decision is made. Last year the starting left guard spot was thought to be a three-horse race between Powers, 2016 fourth-round pick Alex Lewis, and 2017 fifth-round pick Jermaine Eluemunor but it was 2018 sixth-round pick Bradley Bozeman who emerged as the starter and started in all 16 regular-season games and the playoff game.
It truly isn’t over until it’s over, however, a shortened or nonexistent preseason might be to detriment of the two rookies that might not see any live action against someone on another team at the pro level until the regular season rolls around.
