OTL: Three Big Questions on the Eve of the Season

If you’re counting (I certainly am), then you know that we’re just eight days away from the start of the NFL season.

Training camp has played out, the 53-man roster is set, and now it’s the sprint to the finish line of the offseason. In less than two weeks the Ravens will face their first test in Indianapolis. Plenty of questions were answered over the last few months, but a few still stand for the Ravens heading into 2026.

Who will be the starting center?

The discourse around the starting center position has been a bit of a whirlwind, and it became even more so when Danny Pinter suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear during joint practices in Minnesota two weeks ago. It seemed like Pinter had a firm grip on the starting job, but the injury turned a three-man competition into a head-to-head battle.

Jovaughn Gwyn was brought in with connections to Dwayne Ledford, and after being on the bubble when he was first signed, he worked his way into a near-lock by the final few weeks of the preseason.

On the flip side, Ethan Pocic signed on July 23, but was still being worked back early in camp after suffering a late-season Achilles tear in 2025.

When you compare the careers of the two, it’s night and day. Gwyn has never made an NFL start and has only appeared in 19 games over three seasons. Pocic is going into year ten, having made 81 starts at center over the last six seasons.

The preseason and camp reps seem to point toward Gwyn, but there’s still been no commitment, and if he wins the job the leash may be very short with the veteran Pocic behind him.

Will the secondary be that much better?

A season ago, the Ravens finished with the 30th-ranked pass defense in terms of pass yards allowed per game. Fast forward a season and the personnel in the secondary is nearly the same. The cornerback room is led by Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, and Chidobe Awuzie. The primary safeties are Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, and Jaylinn Hawkins. Hawkins is the only newcomer of those six.

Yes, Zach Orr was a poor defensive coordinator, but expectations are lofty for this group. While the coaching staff is fresh and new, not much has changed in terms of the guys on the field. I’d like to think the struggles may not have been due to a lack of back-end talent, but a lack of pass rush.

The two tend to go hand and hand, and the Ravens finished T-28th in sacks per game last year. If Trey Hendrickson and company can shorten the time to throw for the opposing quarterback, the secondary should see a pretty strong bump when you also factor in Jesse Minter’s influence.

Do the Ravens have a kicker problem?

It’s painful that we have to have these conversations. We had it so nice for basically the entirety of the franchise’s existence between Matt Stover and then the potential GOAT, but then after a rough 2024 from Justin Tucker parlayed with off-the-field allegations, he was released.

Tyler Loop did have a quietly solid 2025. Before that miserable miss in Pittsburgh from 44 yards away, he was 30-for-33 (90.9%) on the season. He had been perfect from under 50, but he was just 1-for-4 from 50+ in an era where 50+ seems to be the new 40.

This preseason, however, was rough. He was 9-for-9 on PATs, but just 5-for-8 on field goals. His misses were from 49, 51, and 59. The made kicks came from 20, 24, 42, 49 and 51.

You’d have to think that a huge miss HAS to put a mental roadblock in the mind of a kicker. Loop has said he always has a next kick mentality, but I really don’t know how something like that wouldn’t stay with him for a while.

The Ravens clearly feel the sense of urgency at the position, shown by the signing of Jake Moody to the practice quad.

Loop’s job seems to be safe for now, but the kicking world is a volatile one. One poor performance or another missed kick turning a win into a loss could be the nail in the coffin.

The post OTL: Three Big Questions on the Eve of the Season appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/09/01/out-to-lunch/kicker-center-secondary/