He was a key part of the Baltimore Ravens shutting down an All-Pro pass-rusher in Week 4, despite starting at a new position, but Vega Ioane was still far from satisfied with his performance.
The rookie right guard turned starting center didn’t give dominant defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons any joy during the 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, October 4. Ioane faced four-time Pro Bowler Simmons on nine snaps at M&T Bank Stadium, per The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer, citing Next Gen Stats.
Shaffer noted “Simmons totalled only one pressure on his 32 pass rushes (3.1%), his lowest pressure rate in a game since Week 7 in 2025. His lone pressure came against Andrew Vorhees (on 13 matchups). Simmons also faced Vega Ioane and John Simpson 9 times, Ronnie Stanley 7 times, Roger (Rosengarten) 5 times and Emery Jones 3 times.”
His lone pressure came against Andrew Vorhees (on 13 matchups). Simmons also faced Vega Ioane and John Simpson 9 times, Ronnie
This was the ideal way for Ioane to start what could be a prolonged period of time playing over the ball. Yet, the 14th player selected in the 2026 NFL draft sounded less than thrilled about how he fared.
Ioane told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, how “There’s a lot of things I have to clean up.” Zrebiec mentioned Ioane was clearly annoyed by “a couple of late snaps,” and the rookie declared, “there’s no excuse for it.”
This no-frills approach and refusal to settle for anything less than perfection will endear Ioane to his teammates and Ravens’ fans. Both groups are keen to see the former Penn State stud transform the center position from a shaky spot undermined by the loss of marquee talent, before a slew of injuries hit the replacements, into a position of strength.
Vega Ioane Already Mastering Crucial Transition
Staying solid at the heart of the offensive line could soon take on greater importance for the Ravens. Particularly if the ankle injury suffered by star quarterback Lamar Jackson keeps him off the field longer than expected.
So it’s a good thing Ioane put in the work to play center, and the work’s already paying off in a big way. He’s mastering the crucial transition for an O-line weakened when general manager Eric DeCosta refused to pay three-time pivot Tyler Linderbaum in free agency.
DeCosta was instead content to replace future Las Vegas Raiders’ starter Linderbaum with veteran retreads. The plan always looked like a gamble, but injuries to Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic wrecked the strategy and spared EDC from people seeing how big a risk he’d actually taken.
Ultimately, DeCosta might wind up with more plaudits for using a first-round pick to take Ioane. He’s already playing Pro-Bowl-worthy football and anchoring a line beginning to grow in stature.
Ravens’ Offensive Line Delivered
Simmons had promised to deliver a beatdown of sorts to Ravens’ running back Derrick Henry, but it never happened. Henry barely saw his former Titans teammate because Simmons couldn’t win enough one-on-one matchups against focused Baltimore O-linemen.
Frustrating big No. 98 is a tough task, but the Ravens managed it by winning the physical batles and showing him different looks. This combination of muscle and brains helped Henry rush for 73 yards and the opening touchdown, while Jackson had a 144.2 QB rating before injury struck.
Jackson still took two sacks, including the collision with Titans’ edge Jermaine Johnson that led to the two-time NFL MVP’s early exit.
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It was a coverage sack of sorts, but Ioane and Co. will still feel a sense of responsibility for Jackson’s plight. That frustration was evident in Ioane’s postgame words, but others connected to the Ravens will be pleased he’s making the center problem easier to fix.
Ravens’ Vega Ioane Drops Surprise Verdict After Blanking All-Pro