The expected signing of free-agent center Ethan Pocic will cross off the Ravens' biggest remaining need: a veteran with significant starting experience at the position.
Pocic, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal reportedly worth $3 million with another $1.5 million in incentives on Friday, becomes the favorite to replace Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed a market-shattering three-year, $81 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in March.
Pocic, who was recently cleared for training camp after suffering a torn Achilles in early December, has started 97 games over nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks.
The other three centers on Baltimore's roster – Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwynn, and Corey Bullock – have a combined 10 starts, all by Pinter.
Here's what pundits said about the Ravens expected signing of Pocic:
A to Z Sports’ Kyle Crabbs: "Grade: B+. "He was at his best when he first arrived in Cleveland in 2022 and 2023 – he allowed less pressures in those two seasons combined than he did in 2024. If he can return to that form, Baltimore's got themselves a steal on a one-year, $4.5 million max value contract. But that's a big if for a few reasons. Pocic turns 31 years old on Aug. 5. And, of course, he's just seven months removed from that Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season. Yes, he's medically cleared for action. But the question will be how well his mobility returns after an extensive rehab process. … On the surface, this signing is going to raise both the floor and the ceiling on the heart of the offensive line. But it doesn't completely eliminate the risk."
Russell Street Report’s Chad Racine: "[General Manager] Eric DeCosta delivers maybe the best possible option in a tough situation after failing to find a center in the draft. Landing an average starting center with plenty of experience in the AFC North is about as ideal as it could get considering the circumstances. Not giving up draft capital and being patient paid off. While he ranked much higher as a run blocker last year than a pass blocker, overall he's an average starting center. Which happens to be great news for the Ravens."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Frank Platko: "The signing of Ethan Pocic is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move that is unsurprising. With Pocic being medically cleared, he instantly became the top available center. Pocic's recovery timeline from last year's torn Achilles and ability to return to pre-injury form will be key factors in whether he can emerge as the team's starter. However, while a competition will still play out this summer between Jovaughn Gwyn, Corey Bullock and Danny Pinter, it's unquestionable that at full health and peak performance, Pocic is the premier option to start. At the very least, he will provide a veteran presence with tons of starting experience to a group that lacks in both of these areas."
Baltimore Ravens on SI’s Donovan Gibbs: "Pocic was a free agent who made the most sense for Baltimore's run-oriented offense. Pairing him with John Simpson and Vega Ioane, two guards who thrive as run blockers, gives the Ravens three maulers on the inside. Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford wants to establish a zone-run offense, and having Pocic will make that transition smoother. Pocic is versatile in both zone and gap schemes, as Cleveland ran zone at 42% and gap at 47% last season. Before the injury, he was crucial in double teams as a post or trail player and was comfortable working up in space against second-level defenders."
Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke: "At 30 years old and in the midst of an Achilles recovery, there's no telling what he'll look like by the time he suits up. Despite that question surrounding Pocic, a new and improved offensive guard duo will help him rebound from injury smoothly. … There might still be some slight uncertainty along the offensive front, but they should be pretty solid at the worst. At the best? They could be one of the better groups in football. It's a major breath of fresh air."
Mike Green Predicted to Have 'Monstrous Season'
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks is the latest pundit to predict outside linebacker Mike Green will make a leap this season. Green was named to Brooks' All-Breakout Team.
"Jesse Minter's return to Baltimore – and Trey Hendrickson's arrival in Charm City – should lead to a monstrous season for the second-year pro," Brooks wrote. "Green is a twitchy edge defender with the first-step quickness and burst to create problems for lumbering tackles unable to match his energy. Moreover, he gets a chance to showcase his skills in an attack-style scheme that will force opponents to deal with the ultra-feisty Hendrickson on one side, leading to plenty of isolated matchups for the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder.
"After tallying 3.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits and 41 total tackles in his debut season, Green could notch 10-plus sacks as a designated pass rusher on a defense that is transitioning from a conservative approach to an aggressive style that should produce more sacks."
Green wasn't that far from having double-digit sacks last season, according to new Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver, who showed Green a video cut-up of his near misses to prove it.
Steve Smith Sr. Is 'Loving' Ravens' Revamped Wide Receivers Room
Former Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. has high hopes for Baltimore's revamped wide receivers room this season, especially two-time Pro Bowler Zay Flowers.
Smith said the key for Flowers to take his game to an even higher level is to vary how he is deployed.
"You got to have a little bit of creativity and not have all of that clutter and having everything be predictable and confusing in the hashes," Smith said on his "89" podcast. "You gotta get him outside of the hashes."
Smith believes the Ravens have done a good job of assembling wide receivers corps with different skill sets.
"The Baltimore Ravens said, 'Hey, we're going to figure it out and we're going to make sure that we cross all of our T's' and dot our I's and let's get a more proper level of different wide receivers,'" Smith said. "'Let's get the big guys. Let's get the slow guys. Let's get the tall guys. Let's get the little jitter bugs. Let's get every variation that we need to be able to attack multiple levels.'"
Kyle Hamilton Voted NFL's Best Safety – Again
Kyle Hamilton's peers – or at least those who participated in the "NFL Top 100" voting – were way off base in assessing the two-time All-Pro's value, but a panel of eight Associated Press football writers nailed it.
They voted Hamilton the No. 1 safety in the NFL for the second year in a row. He received six first-place votes.
"Hamilton is an elite defensive back no matter where he plays," AP's Rob Maadi wrote. "He can line up anywhere, giving the defense multiple options and the offense fits. He had no interceptions and one sack and received 46 of 50 votes for first-team All-Pro last season because his value isn't measured in glamorous stats. Opposing quarterbacks had a 49 rating when Hamilton was on the field and 90 when he was off it. Hamilton forced two fumbles, had seven tackles for loss and 105 overall."
Last week, Hamilton was voted the NFL's top safety in an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches, and scouts. Inexplicably, he came in at No. 63 overall in the “NFL Top 100,” which is determined by players voting themselves.
Pundit Takes the Over on Ravens' Projected Win Total
The Ravens have won 12 or more games in two of the past three seasons. The Athletic’s Vic Tafur likes their chances to make it three out of four after last season's 8-9 finish.
Tafur looked at Bet MGM's over/under win totals and made his prediction for each team. He picked Baltimore to go over 11.5 wins, which are tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the highest total.
"This seems like a big number with new coach Jesse Minter inheriting some old, squeaky parts," Tafur wrote. "But Lamar Jackson is still a top-five quarterback, and last I checked, QBs are pretty important. He has a new coordinator {in Declan Doyle], but that's never affected Jackson before. The offense is going to score points (get Zay Flowers in fantasy) and Trey Hendrickson will give the defense a boost."
As for the rest of the AFC North, Tafur took the under of the Cincinnati Bengals (10.5) and the over on the Pittsburgh Steelers (8.5) and Cleveland Browns (5.5).
Quick Hits
- Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon used one word to describe the pre-training camp vibe for each team. The Ravens had arguably the most optimistic word of any AFC North team – pivotal.
