The Baltimore Ravens are expecting to lose interior lineman Patrick Mekari in free agency this offseason.
Mekari, 27, played in 16 games and drew six starts for the Ravens this past season, proving to be a strong rotational piece for the offensive line.
This opens up a hole for the Ravens, but USA Today writer Glenn Erby believes that the team should replace Mekari with two-time Super Bowl champion and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith, who is among the top free agents in the league this offseason.
“The Ravens have several needs and little salary cap space to continue improving on an offensive line that was middle of the pack despite having Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten on the outside at offensive tackle,” Erby writes.
“Stanley and Patrick Mekari are free agents, and the 25-year-old Smith could slide in as a left guard while Baltimore continues to add young talent via the NFL draft. Smith’s 78.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season ranked 11th among all guards, and more importantly, he’s missed just one start in four NFL seasons and made his first Pro Bowl in 2024 after being tied for the most pass-block snaps without a sack (665).”
With Stanley also leaving, the Ravens need to add some talent in the trenches, and that’s where Smith comes in. However, signing Smith still leaves the left tackle spot open. While the Ravens appear confident Roger Rosengarten could fill in the void, Baltimore may want to spend its money finding someone for that position rather than guard since the interior line is a bit easier to replace.
This isn’t to say the Ravens won’t be better with Smith in the lineup, but Baltimore needs to keep its whole roster in mind considering how limited it is with cap space.