The Baltimore Ravens left their first joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings facing an obvious concern. Though it's part of the game, it's never easy to see a teammate leave the field with a serious injury.
Dissect the game for years, and one never gets used to seeing it. Center Danny Pinter was carted off the field under the gaze of concerned peers and coaches, but that's part of this business' nature. There's still work to do, so with heavy hearts, attention quickly shifted to the team's depth chart and who might absorb additional snaps.
According to head coach Jesse Minter, however, one potential answer was already part of Baltimore's plans.Speaking with reporters after Wednesday's practice, he was asked whether veteran center Ethan Pocic
would be ready to step into a larger role if Pinter's injury proves significant.
His response offered an interesting glimpse into how the Ravens had already mapped out this portion of training camp. His response suggests Pocic's coming opportunity may not be completely tied to Pinter's injury.
"Yes, I felt like we kind of targeted this second week of the preseason of [Ethan Pocic] kind of ramping up into more of the action anyway. It is why you sign guys like that. [It's] to, one, put them in the competition, [and] two, to make sure you have enough in that situation."
The Ravens' timeline was already pointing toward Ethan Pocic
Notice what Minter is saying. The Ravens were already approaching a point in camp where they wanted to see more from the veteran offensive lineman. Now, injury no doubt makes the evaluation more important (and probably more extensive), but credit Baltimore's leadership structure for being forward-thinking.
Some might call it 'lip service', but that may not be the case. Earlier this week, Minter hinted that the organization had entered a critical evaluation period for several players working their way back into football activities.
He repeatedly emphasizedthe importance of joint practices and preseason games, describing them as opportunities for players to build a resume on film. Pocic appears to fall squarely within that evaluation window. The veteran arrived in Baltimore with extensive NFL experience and was never viewed as a developmental project.
He instead represented the type of proven depth teams acquire precisely because injuries and roster battles are inevitable during the course of a season. Now, that reality became more apparent when Pinter went down. While Minter acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Pinter's status, he also made it clear that Baltimore feels comfortable with the options behind him.
"You do not ever want to see anybody go down, but [I] certainly feel good about the way 'Jo' [Jovaughn Gwyn] played in the game and obviously about Ethan in the way that he has played throughout his whole career."
The timing is difficult to ignore. Just days after Minter described the next couple of weeks as an important evaluation period, Pocic is entering the exact phase Baltimore had apparently been anticipating all along.
Whether Pinter's injury results in an extended absence remains unknown. What is clear is that the Ravens were already planning to increase Pocic's involvement before Wednesday's practice ever began. Pinter's injury may intensify the spotlight, but Minter's comments suggest the organization had already circled this week as a pivotal one for the veteran center.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens planned to increase Ethan Pocic’s workload before Pinter's injury
