The Baltimore Ravens turned their attention to Ronnie Stanley as their primary focus in free agency, and they were rewarded with a contract extension to keep the former first-round pick in the DMV.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, it came at the price of losing Patrick Mekari, a fellow offensive lineman who jetted off to the AFC South to join the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sports Illustrated writer Ryan Phillips listed Mekari as the team’s biggest loss in free agency.
“Mekari can play all over the offensive line but mostly played guard and tackle for the Ravens. With Baltimore opting to re-sign Ronnie Stanley, Mekari was likely the casualty of that financial decision. He made 17 starts this season for the Ravens, and played 88 games (53 starts) during his six years in Baltimore. A pass-blocking specialist, he was signed away by the Jaguars on a three-year, $37.5 million deal,” Phillips writes.
The Ravens will now have to find a replacement for Mekari, but luckily for them, they have a few options at their disposal.
There are some players on the roster who could fit the mold, including Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland, who re-signed with the team this offseason. Baltimore could also look at the rookie class for Mekari’s replacement, and with 11 picks to work with going into the NFL Draft, there’s a good chance at least one of those picks will be used on an offensive lineman.
The Ravens could try and secure that spot early by taking an offensive lineman in Round 1 with someone like Alabama’s Tyler Booker or Donovan Jackson from Ohio State.
However, given the depth of this offensive line class, the Ravens could also wait until Day 2 or 3 and still find someone capable of taking Mekari’s spot in the trenches