Ravens Could Finally Be Making Offensive Line Changes

With an ailing Lamar Jackson under center and with limited mobility, the Baltimore Ravens can't afford to have their franchise quarterback take as many hard hits and sacks as he's already taken this season. The two-time league MVP has been sacked 24 times in 8 starts, which is already more than he took all last season in 17, and he's being pressured on 23.4% of his dropbacks, the highest mark since his rookie year.

Fans and pundits alike have been clamoring for the coaching staff to make adjustments to the starting offensive line for months, especially as it pertains to the left and right guard spot. They teased at potential changes heading into their Week 7 bye, but none ultimately materialized as third-year pro Andrew Vorhees and fourth-year pro Daniel Faalele have started every game this season.

There was a new face on the sideline in uniform for the first time in the Ravens' most recent victory over the New York Jets as third-round rookie Emery Jones made his NFL debut as the primary backup guard. While he didn't see any playing time in his first appearance after being activated from the Non-Football Injury List on Oct. 22, that might not be the case for much longer.

According to head coach John Harbaugh, the team is exploring all of its options in an effort to improve and find more consistency in the offensive trenches, including rotating the first-year pro into the starting lineup.

"I think everything's on the table," Harbaugh said. "We've done that before. We were probably one of the first teams that started rotating linemen, if you remember. That was kind of unheard of. When did we start – three, four or five years ago? We did it a few times, so [I am] definitely not opposed to doing that."

A shoulder injury Jones suffered during the pre-draft process caused him to spend the entire offseason program, training camp, preseason and the first six weeks of the regular season rehabilitating and taking mental reps. Since being cleared to practice, he has made tremendous strides to the point where he usurped fifth-year veteran Ben Cleveland for the eighth offensive lineman spot on game day, as evidenced by this past week's inactive list.

"He just kind of moved into that role of one of the eight [players] being active, and [I] was ready to play him if needed," Harbaugh said. "I think we'll see where it goes from there."

Rotating is a tried and true method in Baltimore