Replacing three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum won’t take a big name, according to new Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who has talked up a surprising candidate to replace perhaps the best center in the NFL.
Ledford sat down with Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink and Digital Host Garrett Downing on an episode of The Lounge Podcast. Naturally, the issue of filling the void created by Linderbaum joining the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency came up, prompting Ledford to name a potential hidden gem ready to player over the ball.
Former Atlanta Falcons line coach and run-game guru Ledford told Mink and Downing, “You know, we went through a center change there when I was in Atlanta when we had Drew Dahlman. And we lost Drew to Free Agency. And we had a guy there, you know, Ryan Neusel, who had been kind of training for that opportunity for a while. He got an opportunity and did really well with it. Well, same thing like Jovaughn, he’s been there with us. You know, he’s been training for this opportunity for three years in Atlanta. And so I’m excited to see him with a possibility to take that next step forward in his career.”
The reference to unheralded veteran Jovaughn Gwyn is surprising on a number of levels. Not least because his arrival from the Falcons on a one-year deal went mostly under the radar in 2026 NFL free agency.
A lack of fanfare makes sense when Gwyn has barely seen the field during three seasons in the pros. Yet his experience running Ledford’s schemes makes Gwyn a true sleeper in the competition to be the new Linderbaum, even though the coach is also impressed with another low-key possible replacement.
Whoever wins the job will be central to helping two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry continue to thrive. Fortunately, Ledford’s comments about his preferred blocking and rushing schemes bode well for Henry.
Ravens Confident About Tyler Linderbaum Replacements
Their lack of activity replacing Linderbaum with a lineman of similar talent is considered a major weakness by some, but the Ravens don’t appear concerned. Instead, they seem confident about their replacements for Linderbaum, despite the new options lacking pedigree.
Gwyn’s track record includes a modest 19 games and just 11 snaps in a Falcons uniform, per Pro Football Reference. It’s hardly the ideal audition for assuming the lead role Linderbaum played in the trenches the last four seasons.
GettyJovaughn Gwyn has the inside track to the Ravens’ starting center job.
Perhaps that’s why Ledford also spoke in glowing terms about another veteran, Danny Pinter. Ledford admitted, “when I watched Danny’s film, just, you know, the athlete that he is and the things that you saw on tape, I’m excited about both those guys getting this opportunity to put the best foot forward and be able to take that next step for them individually. But also for us as a unit and as a team, I’m excited about both of those guys in that room.”
Pinter’s core athleticism may have caught the coach’s eye, but the 29-year-old would still need to make a significant leap after being a backup with the Indianapolis Colts.
Similar leaps of faith are required with a pair of undrafted free agents, Corey Bullock and a former college teammate of Baltimore’s top draft pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Vega Ioane. The latter has already impressed Ledford, but Ioane will need a competent center next to him once he’s facing true NFL competition.
That partnership will play a vital role in Ledford’s plans for Henry.
Dwayne Ledford a Perfect Fit for Derrick Henry
The Ravens pulled off a coup of sorts when they added Ledford to rookie head coach Jesse Minter’s staff. Ledford’s time in Atlanta saw the Falcons become a fixture among the league’s most-prolific rushing teams, good news for Henry, who remains the engine of Baltimore’s offense.
Henry will appreciate Ledford’s history of relying on outside-zone runs to make his ground games work. Ledford explained to Mink and Downing how “it’s nice when you look back there and you see Derek, that’s for sure. But I think that you’re going to play to the strength of the team, the team that you’re on. You speak about the outside zone, the wide zone system, and that is something that in college, all the way into the NFL when I was in Atlanta, that’s something that I cut my teeth on early on in coaching. And I’ve kind of ran that at all stops. So it will certainly be a part of it here.”
Although Ledford also promised the Ravens will be “multiple” running the ball, his expertise with zone-based schemes is perfect for Henry. The latter’s ample size and bruising style make him look like the ideal power back, but 6-foot-2, 252-pound Henry has always been more effective attacking defenses laterally.
Like for this touchdown against the Green Bay Packers last season.
DERRICK HENRY IS UNBELIEVABLE.
Henry feasted on “outside zone” and “duo” runs during his peaks years with the Tennessee Titans, according to Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus. Buday also noted how “Henry didn’t see much counter or power in Tennessee, and he also did not generate great numbers on those run concepts. Among 39 running backs with at least 100 such carries since 2016, he ranks just 27th in yards per carry (4.3) on such plays. Compared to his 12.5% 10-plus-yard rate on duo and outside zone, he gained at least 10 yards on only 8.8% of power and counter carries.”
Running outside suits Henry because of his deceptive breakaway speed, as well as his vision to see cutback lanes. The Ravens have made use of these skills with devastating outside-run concepts, but Ledford will take these schemes to a new level.
Ledford’s playbook can help Henry defy the critics and avoid a familiar wall for veteran running backs. Provided the Ravens have a center good enough to move the pile and seal those cutback lanes the way Linderbaum did.
Ravens Coach Talks Up Surprising Tyler Linderbaum Replacement