Getty Raven OG Kevin Zeitler is entering the final year of his contract and believes he has plenty left in the tank.
Playing a decade-plus in the NFL at a high to borderline elite level on the offensive line can take a significant toll on a player’s body over time. It is especially true for linemen on either side of the ball because they play some of the most physically taxing positions in the league.
There have been plenty of notable examples of offensive linemen in Baltimore and abroad walking away from the game and calling it a career while they’re still at the top of their respective game or are showing little to no signs of dropoff.
The two most recent Ravens examples that come to mind are Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden who retired after the 2007 season due to a nagging turf toe injury and future first-ballot enshrine Marshal Yanda who hung up his cleats after one of his and the franchise’s best seasons in 2019.
However, the mere idea of retirement is the furthest thought from the forefront of the mind of Ravens starting right guard Kevin Zeitler. The 11-year veteran is heading into the final season of the three-year deal worth $22.5 million that he signed during the 2021 offseason but isn’t letting the business side of the game impact his focus and dedication to his teammates and the organization’s ultimate goal of winning a championship.
“When you’re in a place this good, you’d love to finish out your career here,” he said in a press conference on June 15, 2023. “I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Not coming to OTAs for the first time kind of made it really clear [that] I still need this game, I love this game and I want to play this game… When I’m here with my teammates, I owe it to them to work hard every day and do whatever we can to try to get this team a Super Bowl.”
When Yanda permanently stepped away from the game, the Ravens struggled to effectively fill the void he left at the starting right guard spot during the 2020 season. They had a two-man rotation between then-third-round Tyree Phillips and veteran D.J. Fluker going for most of the season including the playoffs. While they each had some admirable moments, neither was able to win and keep the job on a full-time basis and neither is still on the team.
Zeitler not only stabilized that position but he quickly became a lynchpin and proved to be more than capable of being a comparable replacement for Yanda. According to Pro Football Reference, he has started all 33 games that he has appeared in since joining the Ravens including the postseason.
He has been extremely durable throughout his career and has missed just two games the past two years, both of which came last season. Only one was a result of injury while the other was when the team sat most of their starters in the regular season finally in Week 18.
Excited For Potential of New Offense
One of the most notable moves that the Ravens made this offseason that could prove to be the most impactful on their Super Bowl aspirations for the 2023 season outside of locking up Lamar Jackson to a long-term deal was the hiring of Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator.
The two-time national championship-winning play caller and designer replaced former AP Assistant Coach Greg Roman and Zeitler is among the growing contingent of players that has liked what he’s seen thus far and are excited to see what it can become.
Monken was nearly his offensive coordinator during his tenure with the Cleveland Browns but he a part of the massive trade package that the team sent the New York Giants in exchange for three-time Pro Bowl wideout Odell Beckham Jr. in the 2019 offseason. Fast forward four years later and now all three of them are on the same team with the same mission in mind.
“Everything comes full circle, and we get a chance to work together now,” Zeitler said. “[He brings] great energy, a bunch of new concepts, a lot of potential. Obviously, [we] had a good start today, [but] a long way together. A nice, hard training camp coming up, and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
One of the most unique facets of the new offense that he is a big fan of already is the fast pace they practice and intend to play at which is a significant philosophical shift from the heavy ball control offense mindset they had under Roman.
“We’re going to attack, and attack and attack,” Zeitler said. “[We’ll] just keep tempo and all that good stuff. We’ll see if it works out.”
Last season the Ravens struggled to get the play off in time on numerous occasions and were in the top 10 of the league’s leaders in delay of game penalties per nflpenalties.com. Running more up-tempo doesn’t necessarily mean that they will become a no-huddle team all of a sudden but the days of them draining nearly every second off the clock are likely over aside of end-of-game situations when sitting on the ball is required to secure victory.
Importance of Continuity & Being a Leader
While the Ravens remodeled their entire depth chart at wide receiver this offseason, the position group where they the some of the most continuity is the offensive line which Zeitler says “matters”.
“Playing on so many different teams over the years and having a lot of places that didn’t have continuity, it really does make a difference,” he said. “The fact that I just came back the last couple of days and it’s just like last year just ended. We were talking, [it was the] same communication. We knew what each other meant. It’s going to be a great thing coming into training camp.”
The only notable departure was that of starting left guard Ben Powers via free agency and the team has several promising, talented, and capable candidates vying to replace him. Zeitler spoke highly of sixth round rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu who is “in the mix” to win the job at the end of his press conference.
“[He has a] great attitude,” he said. “He’s really open-minded. Nothing is going to bug him. He’s very athletic. So, he has … The whole world is right in front of him – all the potential in the world – and I can’t wait to see what he does with it.”
As the elder statesman of the group at 33 years old with a wealth of knowledge to pass down and experience to lean on, being a leader for the unit on and off the field for the young player is a responsibility that Zeitler values and takes seriously.
“I try to stick with the O-line – all these young guys – because there’s so many different ways to play O-line nowadays,” he said. “[There are] a lot of different ways to describe things; I’ve done it a bunch of different ways. Anytime a young guy comes up [to me], it’s great to help him out and try to make him figure out what’s right for them.”
Whether this winds up being Zeitler’s last year with the Ravens or not, it sounds like he intends to make the most of it all feelings and business aside. The team will inevitably be forced to let go of some valuable veteran starters at certain positions as a result of making Jackson the highest-paid player in league history.
That was exactly the case with the release of six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell but at least they don’t have to make the decision on whether to bring Zeitler back or let him walk anytime soon.
