{"id":44808,"date":"2025-04-29T01:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T01:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44808"},"modified":"2025-04-29T01:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T01:23:10","slug":"ravens-sign-intriguing-patrick-mekari-like-depth-piece-with-nfl-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44808","title":{"rendered":"Ravens sign intriguing Patrick Mekari-like depth piece (with NFL ties)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large\">The Ravens love them some positional versatility.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex items-center justify-between text-darkGrey font-group-bigger\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"Northern Iowa v Nebraska\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_14,w_3000,h_1687\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/26\/01jswexx9h33q5xg4g15.jpg\" alt=\"Northern Iowa v Nebraska\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1687\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"Northern Iowa v Nebraska\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">Northern Iowa v Nebraska | Steven Branscombe\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\"><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Baltimore Ravens\u00a0approached the 2025 NFL Draft\u00a0with their usual discipline, loading up on depth and talent without ever forcing the board. But even after 11 picks, they weren\u2019t done finding ways to bolster the trenches. Shortly after the draft wrapped up, the Ravens added another name to the competition, signing Northern Iowa offensive lineman Jared Penning as an undrafted free agent.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Penning, the younger brother of New Orleans Saints tackle Trevor Penning, brings the kind of versatility Baltimore loves to stockpile. Over the course of his college career, Penning played both right guard and left tackle at UNI, earning All-Conference honors and a spot on the Reese\u2019s Senior Bowl watchlist. While he didn\u2019t hear his name called over the weekend, he\u2019ll get a real shot to prove himself in Baltimore\u2019s retooled offensive line room.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">It\u2019s a move that fits the Ravens\u2019 long-term plan perfectly. With Ronnie Stanley\u2019s health always a question mark and several young linemen still developing, there\u2019s no harm\u2014and plenty of potential upside\u2014in seeing what a tough, versatile prospect like Penning can offer.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Ravens\u2019 offensive line depth continues to grow after the draft<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Ravens didn\u2019t just invest lightly in their offensive line this offseason\u2014they overhauled it. They re-signed Ronnie Stanley, drafted Emery Jones Jr., Carson Vinson, and Garrett Dellinger, and already have solid contributors like Tyler Linderbaum, Roger Rosengarten, and Daniel Faalele entrenched. But adding Penning signals that Baltimore knows how important depth and competition are, especially in the trenches.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Penning, at 6-foot-5 and over 310 pounds, has the frame to hold up inside or outside. He\u2019ll enter camp fighting for a roster spot, but the pathway is real: the Ravens love multi-positional linemen who can swing between guard and tackle\u2014they just lost their best one when Patrick Mekari left for Jacksonville\u2014and Penning\u2019s background gives him a shot to stick.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">His brother, Trevor, came into the NFL as a first-round pick for the Saints, but his career has had its bumps and adjustments. Jared isn\u2019t arriving with any of those same expectations, which could work in his favor. In Baltimore, development is the priority\u2014not immediate stardom.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Ravens\u2019 offensive line rebuild wasn\u2019t just about finding starters. It was about building a pipeline of talent ready to step in when needed. Signing Penning after the draft shows that approach isn\u2019t changing anytime soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ravens love them some positional versatility. Northern Iowa v Nebraska | Steven Branscombe\/GettyImages The Baltimore Ravens\u00a0approached the 2025 NFL Draft\u00a0with their usual discipline, loading up on&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ravens sign intriguing Patrick Mekari-like depth piece (with NFL ties) - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44808\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ravens sign intriguing Patrick Mekari-like depth piece (with NFL ties) - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Ravens love them some positional versatility. 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