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OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND – JUNE 09: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens talks with teammates during Baltimore Ravens Mandatory Minicamp at Under Armour Performance Center on June 09, 2026 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Tyler Linderbaum is out in the desert, but that doesn’t mean the Baltimore Ravens are in trouble at the center position.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson spoke about the team’s center competition and said he likes “our choices” for the 2026 season.
Linderbaum, of course, left in free agency to sign a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders — the largest contract for a center in NFL history. Letting Linderbaum walk has been panned by pundits as a potentially franchise-altering decision, particularly with how it will affect Jackson.
Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn and Corey Bullock are competing to replace Linderbaum, though Gwyn and Pinter have been participating in the team’s minicamp while Bullock tends to an injury.
Lamar Jackson: Ravens’ Centers are ‘Doing a Pretty Good Job’
GettyLamar Jackson is breaking in a new offense and a new center ahead of his ninth season with the Ravens.
Baltimore may have lost arguably the game’s best center. But its options at center to replace Linderbaum no slouch.
The Ravens signed Pinter to a one-year contract, where the majority of the money is guaranteed, and Bullock was Linderbaum’s backup, who had a 59.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.
So while some are worried about the Ravens’ options, Jackson likes what he sees.
“Those guys are competing well. They’re doing a pretty good job to me,” Jackson said to the Ravens’ official site. “I’m liking our choices, for sure.”
The Ravens had two days of minicamp in Owings Mills this week before about a six-week break until they will start training camp ahead of the 2026 season.
The Ravens’ Center Competition is far From Being Settled
GettyJesse Minter has a lot of decisions to make between now and the Ravens’ Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 13.
Whichever player ultimately replaces Linderbaum will have his pressure and expectations from both fans and the Ravens organization.
Fortunately, first-year coach Jesse Minter isn’t close to making a decision about who is the No. 1 center, particularly with Bullock on the shelf. He also said he won’t approach a decision until at least the first week in August.
“I would say it’s a pretty balanced competition right now,” Minter said. “I think Danny and Jovaughn both have done a great job. … With that position especially — because we haven’t had pads on yet, and they’re new — that will definitely sort itself out a little more as we get pads on.”
Bullock probably has the inside track, though his “minor injury situation” left in on the side during minicamp. Still, he played 16 games a season ago and should be considered the next-man up.
But the Ravens also committed dollars to Pinter, who may end up as the backup if he doesn’t win the starting job. Pinter has 10 starts in 77 games over six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, while playing both guard and center.
Gwyn seems like the longest shot to make Baltimore’s roster. Despite being picked in the seventh-round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, and signing a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with the Ravens, Gwyn has not made a start and played just 19 games in three seasons.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
