Ravens Sign Veteran Center to Practice Squad

The 29-year-old offensive lineman has spent five seasons in the NFL, including a one-and-done stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 sandwiched between stops with the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Chargers.

He didn't get much burn for his standards in that lone Baltimore season, appearing in nine games and accumulating two starts. Tyler Linderbaum's ascendance as one of the league's top young centers negated some of his value, forcing Mustipher into more of a bench role than he'd seen in recent years. The Denver Broncos signed him away shortly after, and he returned to free agency after his most recent Los Angeles season.

The Maryland native will look to help fortify the Ravens' thin offensive line, which has already slipped since Mustipher was last in town. The team's still averaging a league-leading 40.5 points per game through two weeks, but Lamar Jackson's not getting a ton of breathing room from his quarterback pocket. Linderbaum is still playing at a Pro Bowl level, just like he was during Mustipher's day, leaving the major room for concern to his right side.

The Ravens can't even make up for their shortcomings with depth, entering this regular season without some of their succession candidates ready to go. Backup prospect Emery Jones Jr. remains unavailable as he looks to make his comeback from injury, and the front office's decision to re-sign Ben Cleveland isn't exactly a needle-mover.

Corey Bullock is the team's most appealing upside swing, an undrafted free agent who worked his way onto the 53-man roster, and he offers some versatility along the line despite his current listing as Linderbaum's direct backup. Mustipher can't offer that same young upside, but he logged a start at right guard with the Chargers last season. There's a chance that this is one of the Ravens' swings at finding a replacement for Daniel Faalele, the team's biggest blemish along the line.

That line depth was flagged as one of the roster's few areas that needed improvement before the season started, with Baltimore doing a respectable job at providing answers and belief to just about every other position group. The team only goes as far as Jackson takes them, though, and the more insurance he can get from his front line protectors, the better for the franchise.