Ravens Claim G Christian Haynes

Haynes became the odd man out after the Seahawks sent the Colts third- and fifth-round picks for Quenton Nelson on Tuesday. Seattle waived Haynes, and Baltimore will pick up his third-round contract. Haynes’ rookie deal runs through 2027 and contains no guaranteed money next year.

This will send a former No. 81 overall pick to a Baltimore team reeling on the interior O-line. The Ravens will be without guard/center Vega Ioane due to an MCL sprain sustained in Week 7, and they are already down centers Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic (after placing Danny Pinter on season-ending IR). Baltimore acquired Cam Jurgens from Philadelphia earlier this month, and the team has backup options in Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones. The latter filled in for Ioane when he went down against the Bengals.

Although Haynes did not live up to expectations in Seattle, the team turned to him as its Anthony Bradford right guard fill-in during the starter’s IR stint this season. Haynes made the first five starts of his career in 2026, and Pro Football Focus slotted that work sample 44th overall among qualified guards. Prior to that, however, Haynes was unable to win a starting spot in each of his first two seasons.

The UConn alum could not beat out Bradford for the RG job in 2024 or ’25, and after the team drafted Grey Zabel in the 2025 first round and went on to win Super Bowl LX, Haynes found his pathway to a potential starting role blocked without an injury. Bradford’s IR stay did open up work, though the Seahawks struggled to run the ball during that hiatus. Bradford, in all likelihood, will end up being replaced by Nelson — with Zabel presumably shifting from LG to RG to keep the future Hall of Famer at his primary spot.

Haynes is due a prorated $1.32MM this season and a nonguaranteed $1.59MM in 2027. As for the Seahawks, they will be poised to deploy a Nelson-Zabel guard duo. Zabel does have experience — from his North Dakota State days — across the O-line, potentially opening the door to him being a stopgap left tackle while Charles Cross battles a high ankle sprain. PFF ranks former UDFA Jalen Sundell 23rd among centers this season. But Bradford figures to become a depth piece following the Nelson trade. Seattle also has fifth-round rookie Beau Stephens as a backup guard option.