The Atlanta Falcons decided not to bring back Jovaughn Gwyn for another season, letting him walk this offseason.
The Baltimore Ravens are likely quite thankful for that.
The Ravens on Monday announced that Gwyn will be their Week 1 starting center. It will be the first start of Gwyn’s career.
Jesse Minter announces that Jovaughn Gwyn will start at center for Ravens in Week 1. This will be Gwyn’s first NFL start.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 7, 2026
The Ravens take on the Indianapolis Colts in a relatively high-profile opener, and so Gwyn will be in the spotlight.
He’ll be snapping the ball to two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, which has to be a cool moment in Gwyn’s career.
Jovaugh Gwyn With Ravens
The most notable piece of Gwyn being named the Ravens’ starting center is who he’s replacing.
The Ravens had Tyler Linderbaum, the best center in football, playing that position.
Linderbaum left Baltimore in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders on a deal that pays him $27 million per year, which is a record for an interior offensive lineman.
The Ravens were always going to have a tough time replacing Linderbaum, especially in a free agent market that featured more teams in need of centers than there were centers available.
Gwyn likely wasn’t viewed as a likely solution, but he’s who they’re going with in the end.
Interestingly, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter noted in his press conference that just because Gwyn is starting Week 1 doesn’t mean he’ll be starting the whole season.
Jesse Minter confirms Jovaughn Gwyn will be the starting center entering Week 1 vs. the Colts.
“When opportunity knocks, are you ready to take advantage? And he’s done a really good job. He’s obviously repped a lot with our starters over the last couple weeks.”
Minter noted the… pic.twitter.com/kOTNo2NCEr
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) September 7, 2026
Jovaughn Gwyn’s Time With Falcons
Gwyn originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick by the Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Carolina.
The native of Charlotte, North Carolina played in one game in each of his first two seasons with Atlanta.
In 2025, he broke out to some extent, getting onto the field in all 17 games. He didn’t start any of those, though.
That means the step up to a Week 1 start with the Ravens is a big one.
Baltimore will have to hope that the lessons Gwyn learned in his time with the Falcons, even time spent on the sideline, can translate to success for a team that is certainly in the playoff picture right from the outset of the season.
The Falcons, meanwhile, have Ryan Neuzil as their starting center. They clearly never viewed Gwyn as a candidate for that spot or they wouldn’t have let him leave so easily in free agency.
Ex-Falcons Contributor Named Week 1 Starter in AFC North