The Ravens Need to Give Ben Cleveland a Chance

Baltimore originally drafted him as a tackle but moved him to guard, hoping he would be the next star lineman like Orlando Brown Jr, who they later traded in 2021 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

When told about his comparison to Brown after being drafted, Faalele said, “One day I’d like to play like him [Orlando Brown], he’s football intelligent,… He uses his strength to his advantage.”

Unfortunately for the Ravens, this hasn’t turned out as they hoped. He currently ranks 66th out of 113 guards in 2025 with a PFF grade of 57.3, which is his best mark in any of the previous four years.

When coming out of the 2022 draft, his most glaring issue was his footwork. Since being drafted, he has continued to struggle with his footwork, and those issues still show up in his fourth season. The Ravens clearly need to make a change, and everyone can see it.

The Case for Ben Cleveland

Ever since Baltimore drafted Ben Cleveland in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he has had very few opportunities to show out. He’s only started seven games in his career, with his most recent start being in Week 16 of the 2023 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore chose him for his massive physical traits and believed they could mold him into a starter. Yet, they haven’t given him a fair shot since his rookie year.

In the few opportunities given, Cleveland has an average PFF rating of 61.08 — not great. However, it’s still better than Faalele, who has a PFF grade average of 54.88 throughout his career.

Even with the few opportunities given, Ben Cleveland has outplayed Daniel Faalele for the right to start at right guard. For the Ravens, it’s a low bar, but even with the low expectations, Faalele has clearly not met them.

For a player drafted for his body type and the physical tools at his disposal, the Ravens’ and Head Coach John Harbaugh’s decision to keep Cleveland on the bench has clearly hurt the team’s chances to win, even though he’s been patiently waiting for the opportunity to play.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that both the Ravens and Harbaugh can’t ignore the truth much longer. Daniel Faalele’s play has been detrimental to the team, and he has not demonstrated that he is the right man for the job. The team’s constant approach of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole is clearly not working and is making any chance of saving this season so much harder.

The Ravens’ season has indeed been disappointing for fans. John Harbaugh has continued to hurt the team by putting his trust in Daniel Faalele to get better. But it’s very clear that despite the many chances the Ravens have given him, he hasn’t become the player they hoped he would be.

If the Ravens want to make life easier for themselves and have any opportunity to dig out of this hole, they need to take a look at Ben Cleveland first.