The Ravens are entering the 2025 season with one of the deepest rosters in the league. One place a team can never have enough depth, though, is their offensive line.
Baltimore’s line depth took a major blow this offseason with the departure of Patrick Mekari, who opted to sign with Jacksonville in free agency. The loss of Mekari is mainly going to hurt them in terms of flexibility. The 6-year veteran played at 4 different positions last season, including 822 snaps at left guard.
Joseph Noteboom‘s ability to fill in at each non-center position should assuage some of the team’s fears. But they’re holding out hope that third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. will emerge as a reliable option to move inside.
Ravens Coaches Raving About Jones’ Off-the-Field Performance
Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh shared high praise for the team’s selection of Jones following the draft. Harbaugh emphasized their need for “a possible swing guy,” according to Ravens Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
“He’s got the chance to be a swing backup tackle for us right away but he also has the chance to go in there at guard and play,” Harbaugh said, according to Mink. “We’re going to put him in there at guard, too, and see how he does. Once he starts practicing, we’ll get a feel for where he can help us. We think he can play guard and tackle.”
While Jones has not yet showcased his on-field talent, Ravens offensive line coach George Warhop has liked what he’s seen.
“Emery is very smart; he’s very engaged; he’s plugged in,” Warhop said last week, according to Brown and Mink. “He can’t do what we’re doing, but he can mimic it on his own. I’ve been most impressed with him, and with [fellow rookie Garrett Dellinger] in the meeting rooms. Just [their] understanding [of] what we’re doing; they’re very, very, very close to being really good pro players in that regard.”
While Jones works his way back, Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele are the leading candidates at each guard spot. Vorhees will compete against Ben Cleveland for the starting left guard spot. Based on their playing time last season, it seems like Vorhees has the advantage.
Shoulder Injury Hurting Jones’ Stock
As Harbaugh told reporters at the beginning of rookie minicamp, Jones has been dealing with a shoulder/labrum injury this offseason. Harbaugh has said that he expects Jones to make his debut “at some point in training camp,” according to Ravens Staff Writer Clifton Brown and Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
Unfortunately for Jones, his injury concerns have overshadowed his off-the-field performance, at least according to The Athletic‘s Jeff Zrebiec. Zrebiec notes that the “ship has probably sailed” on Jones competing for one of the starting guard jobs.
“Not only do the Ravens seem committed to starting Jones out at tackle, but he’s missed so many reps while rehabbing from shoulder surgery,” writes Zrebiec. “It’s too early to say Jones is heading toward a redshirt season, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be a factor early in the season if he’s not able to make his practice debut until midway through training camp or later,” Zrebiec continued.
Jones’ progression will certainly be something to keep an eye on once he finally makes his debut in a Ravens uniform. His recovery is paramount, but hopefully that debut will be sooner rather than later.
