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For the Baltimore Ravens, it’s Super Bowl or bust in 2025. They’ve been knocking on the door for years. This time, the team looks even more formidable. Lamar Jackson is coming off an MVP-caliber season and leads an offense that ranked first in total yardage in 2024. The defense? It was even better, especially down the stretch. They allowed just 15.4 points per game over the final seven contests. Simply put, this is a team without many holes.
The Ravens return all but four starters from last year’s AFC North champion squad. They also made key additions in former Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and shutdown corner Jaire Alexander. The window is wide open. With training camp underway, though, Baltimore still has one nagging question to answer. It’s one that could make or break their Super Bowl dreams.
Is this the year Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens to the promised land? All signs point to yes. Baltimore has invested in both sides of the ball and built one of the most balanced, dangerous rosters in the NFL. The offense is as explosive as ever. Jackson is now throwing to a receiving trio that includes Hopkins, Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, and tight end Mark Andrews. The backfield tandem of Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell promises thunder and lightning in equal measure.
On defense, Alexander joins a unit that was already elite. The pass rush led by Nnamdi Madubuike and Odafe Oweh is poised for another disruptive season. So what’s left to worry about?
Ther’es very little, except for one problem that simply won’t go away. Here we’ll try to look at the fatal flaw that the Baltimore Ravens must address in their 2025 NFL training camp.
If there’s one spot on the Ravens’ depth chart that fans should be watching closely this summer, it’s at guard. That may seem nitpicky on a Super Bowl-caliber team. However, history has shown that a shaky interior offensive line can ruin even the best-laid plans.
Let’s call it what it is: guard play was a weakness last year. It hasn’t been convincingly addressed.
After losing Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson in free agency ahead of the 2024 season, the Ravens turned to Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele to man the interior. The results were mixed. Sure, they held their own in pass protection at times. Still, the run blocking left a lot to be desired, especially on Faalele’s end. That’s where he ranked among the worst in the league in run block win rate (71.8 percent).
This offseason, things got murkier. Mekari, arguably the most versatile lineman on the roster, signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the Jaguars in March. Baltimore has yet to name a clear-cut starter to replace him at left guard.
The leading contenders? Andrew Vorhees or Ben Cleveland. Vorhees is still relatively unproven coming off a long recovery from a torn ACL. Cleveland...
