Typically, when a two-year starter from the Ravens’ offensive line hits free agency, they are signed immediately, often to a market-level deal.
Daniel Faalele received no such treatment. Despite starting every game at right guard for the past two years, he went unsigned for almost a month into the new league year. The only team willing to take a chance on him was, unsurprisingly, the one now coach by John Harbaugh.
The Giants have agreed to a one-year deal with Faalele, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport,
likely for a price close to the veteran minimum. He will likely factor into New York’s starting right guard competition with another jumbo-sized tackle convert, Evan Neal.
Ravens fans do not have fond memories of Faalele, to say the least. The fondest is likely his draft night in 2022, when Eric DeCosta used the first of his five(!) fourth-round picks on the hulking right tackle out of Minnesota. At 6-foot-8 and 384 pounds, Faalele was compared to Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata as a former rugby player who could develop into an NFL-caliber blocker.
That trajectory never materialized. Faalele played better than he is credited for as a swing tackle in his first two years, but he did not project as the next starting right tackle after Morgan Moses’ departure in 2024. The Ravens instead drafted Roger Rosengarten and converted Faalele to their starting right guard. He immediately struggled, drawing heavy criticism from fans, but took clear steps in the right direction later in the year. That progress disappeared by the time the 2025 season rolled around, and the 26-year-old was a liability all year long.
Despite repeated questions from the media, the Ravens never seemed to consider a change at right guard. But the fact that Faalele remained unsigned for almost a month into the new league year speaks volumes about the league’s assessment of his performance. And while Harbaugh may have signed him eventually, the fact that he did not pursue his two-year starter much sooner is an implicit indictment his approach to their offensive line in 2025. The same is true for Browns head coach Todd Monken and offensive line coach George Warhop, who similarly kept Faalele in place last year.
