The Baltimore Ravens have done a commendable job rebuilding their offensive line through the draft and free agency, with 1 notable exception.
Baltimore still hasn’t recovered from the gut punch of losing 3-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. That departure was thanks to a 3-year, $81 million contract that made him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history — and by all accounts was similar to the offer he received from the Ravens.
Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora believes the Ravens might be able to find the answer in a trade, and singled out former 1st-round pick Garrett Bradbury as the best possible option.
“Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta concedes the team lacks the goods at center on its current roster, and he’s been playing coy about his solution to the problem,” La Canfora wrote. ” … centers are a commodity, and they are the central nervous system of an offense and their chemistry with the quarterbacks and guards are everything.”
Why Bradbury Would Be Perfect Fit for Ravens
Bradbury is the perfect fit but also a longshot for the Ravens after he was already traded for once this offseason, when the Chicago Bears sent the New England Patriots a 2027 5th-round pick for Bradbury on March 11.
It’s unusual to get traded twice in 1 offseason, but it does happen.
“Bradbury, 30, played over 1000 snaps for New England last year, and then was traded to the Bears, where Ravens rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was an understudy on Ben Johnson’s staff in 2025,” La Canfora wrote. “He’s been largely serviceable throughout his career since being selected in the first round by Minnesota in 2019. His athleticism was a calling card — the Ravens love that — and he was a great scheme fit in outside zone, which would also seem to mesh with what many believe Doyle will lean into.”
Bradbury, 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, was a 1st-round pick (No. 18 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 and played his 1st 6 seasons there before he was released following the 2024 season. He signed a 2-year, $9.5 million contract with the Patriots and started all 17 games in 2025 on the way to playing in the Super Bowl.
Ravens Have Rebuilt Interior Offensive Line
The Ravens and 1st-year head coach Jesse Minter committed to rebooting their interior offensive line this offseason — most obviously by using their 1st-round pick (No. 14 overall) on 6-foot-4, 320-pound Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane.
With Ioane penciled in at one starting guard spot, the Ravens dropped a 3-year, $30 million free-agent contract on another starting guard with John Simpson.
“There’s a reason Ioane is the first interior lineman ever to be drafted in the top half of the first round by the Ravens,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “Baltimore’s theme this offseason is: Protect quarterback Lamar Jackson. After making guard John Simpson their first free-agent signing on the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens used their first pick in the draft on Ioane, who is considered the top guard in this draft … it’s hard to question the Ravens when they are positioned this high in the draft. Baltimore has picked 11 times previously in the top half of the first round, and nine of them have turned into Pro Bowl players, including safety Kyle Hamilton in 2022.”
Ravens Urged to Replace $81 Million Pro Bowler With Former 1st Round Pick