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Thursday, April 04, 2019

Eric DeCosta Wants Marshal Yanda Around ‘For Years’













Joe Schiller
WRITER













Ravens Expect Marshal Yanda Back in 2019 and Beyond

There’s been plenty of speculation surrounding Marshal Yanda’s playing future.

Yanda, who turns 35 in September, enters the final year of his current contract with the Ravens, but don’t expect the seven-time Pro Bowler to hang up the cleats just yet.

At least that’s the expectation around 1 Winning Drive.

General Manager Eric DeCosta made it clear at the Ravens’ pre-draft presser on Tuesday that he wants Yanda around for the 2019 season and beyond.

“We love Marshal,” DeCosta said. “We'd love to see Marshal continue to play for us for years. He's a great player that's still playing at a high level.”












Head Coach John Harbaugh echoed that sentiment at the Combine when asked about Yanda’s future with the team.

“My understanding is that Marshal Yanda is coming back and ready to roll,” Harbaugh said. “That’s where we left it at the end of the season. To my knowledge, nothing’s changed on that.”

The question keeps being asked, however, because the private Yanda hasn’t come out and explicitly said himself whether he will play in 2019.

“Less than a month from the NFL draft, the Ravens have no definitive answer on whether Marshal Yanda is coming back,” wrote The Baltimore Sun’s Jonas Shaffer.

When it comes to consistency and dominance for an offensive lineman, Yanda is the gold standard. DeCosta said that if “you could define a Raven, you’d put a picture of Marshal Yanda up there.”

It doesn’t take much to notice the direct correlation between Yanda’s presence and the Ravens’ offensive success. Just ask running back Gus Edwards, who had the NFL’s highest rushing grade on runs between the right guard and right tackle, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).




















“Yanda battled back from his 2017 ankle injury to log the most snaps among guards in the 2018 regular season at 1,162,” wrote PFF, who ranked Yanda No. 99 on its top 101 players of 2018. “Including the postseason, he earned the fourth-highest overall grade among guards at 75.2, allowing just 15 total pressures and zero sacks.”

As the Ravens plan to retool their offense and establish a strong run game under Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman, Yanda will be a centerpiece around the success.




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