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Baltimore entered this offseason with over 20 players from their 2024 roster hitting free agency, and while they’ve re-signed left tackle Ronnie Stanley, fullback Patrick Ricard, guard Ben Cleveland, wide receiver Tylan Wallace and safety Ar’Darius Washington, they lost a few players to other teams, including guard Patrick Mekari.Kyle Van Noy, Derwin James compete in Harbaugh trivia ‘GMFB’
If the Ravens want to achieve their ultimate goals and hoist the Lombardi Trophy again, they’ll need to protect Lamar Jackson and to do that, they may need to fill Mekari’s spot with a veteran. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell identified the Ravens as the best fit for free agent guard Teven Jenkins.
Jenkins, 27, played offensive tackle at Oklahoma from 2016-20, earning All-Big 12 honors in his final season with the Cowboys.
The Chicago Bears took Jenkins with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft and while he missed the start of his rookie year due to injury, he eventually debuted in December and played the final six games of the season.
In 2022, Jenkins moved from tackle to right guard and then settled in at left guard in 2023, making 14 starts at the position this past season.
Pro Football Focus gave Jenkins a 75.4 overall grade, ranking him 18th among 135 qualified NFL guards in 2024. He also received a 74.3 run-blocking grade (20th) and a 75.8 pass-blocking grade (15th).
The Bears have completely overhauled their offensive line this offseason, acquiring Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney and Drew Dalmen, so they probably won’t be looking to re-sign Jenkins unless it’s for depth.
Baltimore could slide Jenkins in for Mekari, and he should benefit from playing next to Stanley, one of the league’s premier tackles. That could help ease the transition for the Ravens’ offensive line unit which really needs to perform well in 2025 if they want to make it back to the AFC championship game.