When a team tries to replace a player like Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, it’s usually assumed there will be some drop-off.
For the Baltimore Ravens, the goal for 2026 is just to make sure that drop-off doesn’t seem like falling off a cliff — a task that fell to 1st-time starter Jovaughn Gwyn in Week 1 after Linderbaum left for a record-setting 3-year, $81 million free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
After 1 game, Gwyn doesn’t seem up to the task, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox singled him out as having the “most to prove” in a Week 2 home game against the New Orleans Saints.
Ravens Opened Season With Impressive Win
The Ravens opened the season with a 41-23 road win over the Indianapolis Colts, and Gwyn was far from the only player on Baltimore’s roster who screwed up here and there — the Ravens were penalized 10 times for 86 yards.
“Replacing a legitimate star is a challenge that usually comes with pressure,” Knox wrote on September 19. “Baltimore Ravens center Jovaughn Gwyn, who is replacing Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum, is learning that firsthand. Linderbaum had become a fixture of the Ravens’ interior offensive line. Gwyn joined Baltimore on a one-year, $1.2 million contract this offseason. While Gwyn performed well in the run game in Week 1, he drew a critical holding call that negated a touchdown. He also struggled in pass protection and was ranked last among pass blockers by Pro Football Focus. The 2023 seventh-round pick has shown promise but is not yet close to proving he can replace Linderbaum long-term.”
Jovaughn Gwyn Won Position Battle by Default
The Ravens didn’t name Gwyn the starter until just a few days before the Week 1 opener.
“Jesse Minter announces that Jovaughn Gwyn will start at center for Ravens in Week 1,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote on X on September 8. “This will be Gwyn’s first NFL start.”
“It’ll be the 2023 seventh-round pick’s first career start,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account. “Veteran Ethan Pocic is still working his way back. Gwyn starts Week 1 for the Ravens after the departure of Tyler Linderbaum.”
Another potential starter, Danny Pinter, suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon on August 19.
“I think we have two really capable centers,” Minter said on Monday. “(Pocic) is obviously more proven, but he’s also coming off a major injury.”
The Ravens were left in the lurch at center this offseason after Linderbaum’s contentious exit. In his place were 3 “Who Is That Guy?” candidates trying to replace him, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“The battle for the center position is interesting,” Fowler wrote on August 11. “I entered Ravens camp thinking Ethan Pocic would be the favorite, and though he might still end up winning it, the Ravens are playing this one down the middle with Pocic, Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn. Why I’m not sleeping on Gwyn: He has a long history with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who recruited him out of high school while an assistant at NC State and coached him for three years with the Falcons.”
New Ravens Starter Under Pressure After ‘Critical’ Week 1 Mistakes