Getty Ravens OL Daniel Faalele should not be ruled out in the running to be the next starting left guard.
The Baltimore Ravens had one of the biggest steals from both a physical and value standpoint fall to them early in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft when they selected the former University of Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele at No. 110 overall.
He was projected to go as high as the late first round and viewed as a lock by many evaluators to come off the board in the second or third at the latest due to his impressive athleticism for a prospect at a premium position of his size at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds.
Since they had already addressed the right tackle position in free agency earlier that year with the addition of veteran Morgan Moses who started every game and proved to be a tremendous value, Faalele spent most of his rookie year developing while providing depth at both tackle spots.
With Moses still entrenched as the starter on the right side, the Ravens are giving the 23-year-old a chance to compete to replace free-agent departure Ben Powers at left guard which is the only open spot on the starting offensive line.
Even though he’s a natural tackle, Faalele has a chance to show if he possesses the positional flexibility that the team covets in their offensive lineman and potentially see the field sooner rather than later or in the event of injury.
“We’re just going to try to give him every opportunity to see kind of where he flashes,” he said. “Right now is a great time. I wanted to see what he looked like – before we got out of the minicamp and the OTAs at left guard, and he looked good.”
One area that Harbaugh pointed out that Faalele could improve on is staying “a little more square” when executing his blocks but two things that he has seen and liked and said “look good” is his footwork and hand usage. Those are two of the few traits that actually be observed and judged when it comes to offensive linemen until the pads come on in training camp.
“He’s able to punch quickly with his hands and react pretty quickly in there,” Harbaugh said. “I wouldn’t rule him out as a potential left guard.”
While Faalele played right tackle exclusively in college, he got his first taste of action and career start in the NFL on the left side at tackle in Week 4 of his rookie season and fared better than expected for a young player at a new position. His lone start was against the Buffalo Bills and he had some impressive reps facing off with eight-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Fame pass rusher Von Miller.
He could very well be the Ravens’ right tackle of the future but with Moses under a very affordable contract through the 2024 season and showing no signs of regression, seeing if the massive mauler can help form one of the five best offensive line combinations is worth the try.
Other Candidates Are Looking Good and Showing Off Versatility Too
Faalele’s fellow competitors in the running to replace Powers are also impressing Harbaugh and the rest of the staff with their performance in practices and are also getting looks at different positions that aren’t their natural spots.
“I would also say that John Simpson has done a great job in there,” Harbaugh said. “Ben Cleveland has been working both sides, but we got him working right tackle now – you saw that. Then [Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu] is doing a nice job in there. It’s going to be quite a fight for that spot.”
Simpson signed with the team late last season in December and was one of the “surprise” candidates that Harbaugh told reporters would be in the mix at the annual league meetings back in late March. He is heading into his fourth season and has 21 starts in 35 career games under his belt according to Pro Football Reference.
Cleveland is a natural guard and is viewed as the early favorite to win the job to replace Powers given his pedigree as a former third-rounder in 2021 and the flashes he has shown. The former Georgia Bulldog has made just five career starts and sporadic live action as a primary backup during his first two years in the league when healthy.
At 6’6″ and 370 pounds, he possesses the physical dimensions and strength to play tackle having more linemen capable of playing multiple positions opens up roster spots for other positions where the decisions of who makes the final cut might be harder.
Aumavae-Laulu was selected in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft at No. 199 overall out of Oregon where he played both guard and tackle for the Ducks on the right side. He is viewed as a developmental prospect that could be the future starter at either spot that has experience playing or one that he doesn’t yet.
Harbaugh Provides Updates on Top Returning RBs
The Ravens are bringing back both of their starting caliber running backs in 2023 after they were hampered by setbacks last season related to lingering issues stemming from missing the entire 2021 season with severe knee injuries that involved multiple torn ligaments.
Former undrafted gem Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards has been present for the voluntary portion of the offseason program but has yet to take part in full team activities and has instead been working off to the side during the sessions open to the media.
“He just wasn’t quite ready to get back out and practice yet – no setback,’ Harbaugh said. “Maybe they’re being a little cautious, but that’s what they’re doing.”
He has been told by the Ravens’ training staff that Edwards could be a partial participant in next week’s mandatory minicamp but that “he’s supposed to be fully ready” by the time training camp rolls around.
Edwards appeared in nine games last season, made four starts and recorded 87 carries for 433 rushing yards with an average of five yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns per PFR. He averages 5.2 yards per carry in his career and posted 700-plus rushing yard seasons in each of his first three seasons.
While Edwards has been in attendance during football school, voluntary workouts, and organized team activities albeit on a limited basis, projected starter J.K. Dobbins has been staying away and working on his own.
“I know J.K. – when he gets back here – will be determined [and] excited,” Harbaugh said. “He will work hard, his energy will be high. I know he’ll be in great shape because I know who he is as a person, and I expect great things out of him this year.”
The former second-round pick to social media to post some cryptic tweets about his long-term future as he is heading into the final year of his rookie contract. Harbaugh was asked about those tweets and expressed that the team wants to keep Dobbins in Baltimore but there’s no telling what the future holds.
“We want him back (next season), but who knows the future?” Harbaugh said. “Nobody knows the future.
Last season Dobbins appeared in eight games, made eight starts and recorded 92 carries for 520 rushing yards with an average of 5.7 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns per PFR. He also caught seven of his eight targets for 42 receiving yards and a touchdown and recorded 105 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches and a rushing score in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.
He was disgruntled about his lack of usage following the team’s early playoff exit this past year but is poised to finally have the breakout season that many were anticipating after he led all NFL running backs with six yards a carry and eclipsed 800 yards as a rookie in 2020.
