The Ravens have a three-way battle for their starting center job on tap heading into training camp. Could they add a fourth contender?
Longtime Colts backup Danny Pinter is seen as an early leader, due in large part to his experience – 10 starts in five NFL seasons – and his competition’s lack thereof. Neither Jovaughn Gwyn nor Corey Bullock has started a single game across their four collective years in the league.
But if Pinter’s resume is a plus, where does that place Ethan Pocic? The 30-year-old
has 97 career starts across five seasons with the Seahawks and four with the Browns. He started 13 games in Cleveland last year alone before suffering a torn Achilles in December. And now, he’s ready to return to a football field.
On Wednesday, Pocic was cleared for training camp by Dr. Norman Waldrop, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Dr. Waldrop is a renowned orthopedic surgeon who has worked on Joe Burrow, Bo Nix, and Tua Tagovailoa. He also serves as an orthopedic consultant for the New Orleans Saints and several NCAA programs, including the University of Alabama. Pocic is coming off a few years of decline and a major injury and should not cost more than a few million, seemingly making this a no-brainer for the center-needy Ravens.
But Pocic is now four years removed from his career-best 2022 campaign, which featured 78.9 overall and run blocking grades from Pro Football Focus – both top-five marks among centers – plus a ninth-ranked 98.6 pass block efficiency. Here are his numbers over the last three years:
- 2023: 15 starts, 70.7 overall (13th out of 37 centers), 68.0 run blocking (17th), 98.3 PBE (9th)
- 2024: 16 starts, 63.6 (25th out of 43), 63.7 (28th), 97.8 (27th)
- 2025: 13 starts, 63.8 (20th out of 41), 63.2 (24th), 98.3 (17th)
If new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford and guard duo John Simpson and Vega Ioane are all as advertised, the Ravens just need league-average center play to keep their offensive line together. Pocic has hovered just below that range in center years with his worse years coming after longtime OL coach Bill Callahan’s departure to the Titans.
Athleticism has never been a strength of Pocic’s game and will be a bigger question post-injury. But returning to tutelage under a renowned coach could re-elevate his game where the Ravens need it.
What do you think? Should the Ravens sign Pocic? Is his Achilles injury too much of a concern? Or, do you like Baltimore’s current options at center? Let us know in the comments section below!
