So how do we fix this Oline going forward? All things considered , and with the exception of Week 1, they’ve held up fairly well. Just feels like a house of cards ready to collapse at any moment though.
I’m concerned we’re going to throw money at Lamar but not be able to protect him in the future. Is it a lock that we likely reach next draft to fill the need?
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I mean I look at it this way...
Stanley is locked in for several years. Re-signing Bozeman, to me, becomes a high priority. You'll have Zeitler for at least one more year, maybe two, and I think he'll be fine for the duration of that.
Between Phillips (when healthy), Powers and Cleveland, you've got guys who can compete for LG. I suppose we could "upgrade" there, but it's pretty low in the pecking order of priorities I would have for the offseason.
That basically leaves RT. You've got JuWuan James for dirt cheap next year, which if he can recover from his injury, was an above average RT when healthy.
For me, the Oline is a "need" in the context of depth and/or a starting RT. That's it. I think we need Tackles. I think we have enough depth on the interior, we just need to solidify the Tackle position a bit more.
It's been a short period of time so far, but Mekari at least looks serviceable there, so that's good news for next year.
The Ravens coaching staff will tell you this 1000%... part of the way the OLine gets better is to have them all play together for an extended period of time. It's not about just replacing like 2-3 starters every year.
You give me a 2022 Oline of Stanley/any of the three LG's/Bozeman/Zeitler/James or high draft pick, and I'd feel very comfortable with it. I think we'll have depth on the interior, and I think Mekari wouldn't fall on his face if he had to play snaps.
Maybe this opinion changes as the year goes on, but for now, this is what I see.
