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BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 13: Marshal Yanda #73 of
the Baltimore Ravens looks on during the second half against the Cincinnati
Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
Somebody will fill in
for Marshal Yanda at right guard. Replacing him however is something
that just isn’t happening for the Baltimore Ravens:
The
biggest change to the Ravens this offseason isn’t a player they added. It’s not
a coaching hire. It’s definitely not one of the high value draft picks they
landed in last month’s NFL Draft. The biggest change to the Baltimore Ravens
wasn’t an addition at all… it was a subtraction. For the NFL’s all-time best rushing offense, losing Hall
of Fame caliber guard Marshal Yanda hurts, and it hurts bad.
Thanks
to the “next man up” culture created by John Harbaugh and Ozzie
Newsome (and continued by Eric DeCosta), there’s always another player in
the pipeline, but, in this case, whether that’s second year guard Ben
Powers, interior lineman Patrick Mekari, free agent signing D.J.
Fluker, or one of the rookies, there are enormous shoes to fill with Yanda gone.
In fact, Yanda’s absence could cause a shuffling of the entire line.
Yanda, an eight time Pro Bowler a two
time first-team All Pro, five time second-team All Pro, and a unanimous
selection to the NFL’s All Decade team, is destined for Canton, and that
type of player isn’t one that’s easy to replace. His absence won’t only be felt
in the starting lineup, there’s a huge hole in the locker room now,
too. According to USA Today,
“Yanda’s position as the team leader is evident on Sundays. Assuming
the role formerly held by the retired Ray Lewis and
departed Terrell Suggs, Yanda is the one who delivers the impassioned
go-get-‘em speech before kickoff.”
Who
will be the next man up? Who will fill the hole left by Yanda, and who will be
making the holes for Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, and the
rest to run through? D.J. Fluker, now on his fourth team, has been
underwhelming as an NFL starter in his seven journeyman seasons. PFF
ranked him at 60.4 for 2019. By comparison, Yanda came in at 85.9. That’s
a steep drop-off for an offensive line that absolutely dominated last year.
On
the plus side, Fluker, an eight year veteran, does have the benefit of
experience. And, he’s blocking again for Mark Ingram, who was his teammate
at Alabama. After being selected 11th overall in the 2013 draft, Fluker played
four years in San Diego, followed by a one year stop with the Giants. His last
two seasons have been in Seattle.
The
other options to replace Yanda aren’t great either. The rookies, Tyre
Phillips from Mississippi State and Ben Bredeson from Michigan, are
unknown quantities at best. Phillips is a tackle, and will be able to sit
behind the best tackle combo in the business, Ronnie Stanley and
Orlando Brown Jr.; but Ben Bredeson is strictly a guard joining a young
position group.
Ben
Powers, on the other hand, had one year of tutelage from Yanda. Powers, a
second year guard from Oklahoma, looked more than capable in his limited snaps
last season. A fourth-round pick, Powers sat out the first 16 weeks of the
season, only playing in the season ending game against the Steelers.
Most
current projections put Fluker or Powers in the driver’s seat for the starting
job, but, at best, the job is up for grabs. Whichever option proves the best, the fact remains that Yanda is
simply irreplaceable, and the offense that set a record for rushing
yards could struggle on that side of the line. Offensive Coordinator Greg
Roman and Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris made magic in 2019—can they do
it again in 2020 without Marshal Yanda? That remains to be seen.
