Tyler Linderbaum has been one of the top centers in the NFL in his young career. A long-time starter for the Baltimore Ravens (66 starts in four seasons), Linderbaum hit the open market and has agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $61 million with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tyler Linderbaum, Las Vegas Raiders, Agree To Contract
In college at Iowa, Linderbaum was one of the top interior offensive linemen in the nation. He was a two-time all-Big Ten selection and earned unanimous All-American honors in his Rimington Trophy-winning senior season in 2021. He was actually recruited as a defensive lineman, but took over as the starting center in his second season on campus and first at the position. That allowed him to be a first-round pick (25th overall) for the Ravens in the 2022 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Linderbaum took over the Ravens’ starting center role. That season, he started all 17 games. Across 17 games, he played 1,161 offensive snaps. Of those, 632 were pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He graded out with a career-low 54.5 grade in pass blocking, 84.3 in 529 run-blocking snaps, and posted a 74.6 overall grade. He allowed 29 pressures, three quarterback hits, and three sacks.
Linderbaum took a step forward in 2023 in his second season, allowing 18 pressures, three quarterback hits, and no sacks. That year, he missed two games due to injury, but still played 1,043 total offensive snaps. In 610 pass-blocking snaps, he graded out at 78.3, while earning a 78.6 in run blocking, and 78.5 overall.
In 2024, he was just as good. Over 17 games, he played 1,227 snaps, 638 of which were pass-blocking snaps. Again, he allowed no sacks, 19 pressures, and three quarterback hits. PFF assigned him a 64.9 pass-blocking grade, 85.3 run-blocking grade, and 79.9 overall.
Last year, Linderbaum continued his top-tier play, grading out as the fourth-best center in the NFL. He played 1,008 snaps, but allowed two sacks, one quarterback hit, and 26 pressures.
In four seasons, Linderbaum made the Pro Bowl in each of his last three. In total, he’s allowed just five sacks and was called for a total of 19 penalties (16 accepted) across 66 games.