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There are a few Baltimore Ravens players that are more critical to the team’s potential success during the 2024 season and keeping them healthy will be paramount. One of those unsung heroes is center Tyler Linderbaum and fans received an update on his recovery that should have them breathing a sigh of relief.
Head coach John Harbaugh spoke after practice to reporters on Monday, August 19, and one of the topics was the health of the Pro Bowl center. Harbaugh said, “He is right on schedule. Just kind of where we were planning.”
Linderbaum is dealing with a neck issue and has not practiced in the last couple weeks, nor has he made any appearances in the preseason games. The team’s overall goal will be to have the star center ready to go for Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harbaugh told reporters, “He won’t be in any contact work this week. He’s in all the ACT practices that we do.”
Linderbaum is a critical component to this offense as he is one of the linemen that Harbaugh will be able to constantly rely on at this point. With OT Ronnie Stanley being the only other returning starter from the 2023 line, Linderbaum could be the make-or-break cog in how this line performs.
“He’s in a good place,” Harbaugh finished off by saying.
Center Tyler Linderbaum on Border of Stardom in NFL
The Iowa center has quickly become a staple on the line in only two seasons and in was named as a Pro Bowl center in only his second season.
Drafted in the first round of 2022, Linderbaum was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie, and while there were some bumps, he did well as the anchor in QB Lamar Jackson‘s protection. He returned even better as a sophomore and after dealing with an injury in the beginning of the season, he finished as a 15-game starter.
In 32 starts Linderbaum has a total of 9 penalties against him and was able to cut his 2022 total of 6 penalties down to 3 penalties in 2023. With OL Kevin Zeitler, John Simpson and Morgan Moses all on new teams, Linderbaum at 24 is one of the veterans of the line.
In only his second season Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 78.5, putting him at 7 out of 36 centers in the NFL. It was an improvement upon his 2022 season as well where he graded at 74.7 overall.
On a team where running the ball is so important, with Jackson and RB Derrick Henry, having solid line play will be paramount if the Ravens hope to make a run at the Super Bowl this season. It will all start with the third-year center as he looks to take the next step in his growth.
Backup Center Position Has Become Interesting Camp Battle
While the starting job is not up for grabs it appears the backup position has become a battle between the veteran OL Ben Cleveland and rookie Nick Samac.
The Ravens have been rotating Cleveland in a few offensive line positions to see where he may be able to best help the team. However, it looks like Cleveland could be losing out to the rookie.
The Athletics’ Jeff Zrebiec posted on X, “Harbaugh said that rookie seventh-round center Nick Samac has really come on and played well last Saturday. Samac was rewarded with first-team reps at center today with Tyler Linderbaum down.”
Cleveland had an unfortunate play in the game against the Atlanta Falcons where he soared the ball over QB Josh Johnson leading to a fumble. Cleveland was hoping to compete for one of the starting guard positions this season, but it looks he may be relegated to just a backup guard at this point of training camp.
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