The focus on the collapsed Maxx Crosby trade muddied the waters in Baltimore Ravens, shifting most of the attention from the fact that general manager Eric DeCosta still has plenty of other business to attend to in free agency.
The most glaring need is now at center, where the Ravens lost center Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders. On Wednesday, DeCosta preached patience, confidence in offensive line coach/run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, and cited his history of plucking talent in the draft.
"I have a lot of confidence in coach Ledford and our offensive staff to develop guys," DeCosta said via the [team’s official website](https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/eric-decosta-tyler-linderbaum-ravens-re-sign-contract-raiders-maxx-crosby). "We've done it before. We have a pretty good history of drafting centers."
Per NFL Research, since DeCosta became the GM in 2019, the Ravens have drafted two players who have started at least one game at center: Linderbaum (25th in 2022) and Nic Samac (7th round in 2024; cut in 2025).
If we stretch the timeline to include DeCosta's time as assistant GM under Ozzie Newsome, the pool gets somewhat deeper. From 2012 to 2018, the Ravens drafted four players who started at least one game at center: Gino Gradkowski (4th round in 2012); Ryan Jensen (6th round in 2013); John Urschel (5th round in 2014); Bradley Bozeman (6th round in 2018).
Of the group, only two have ever made a Pro Bowl: Linderbaum (3) and Jensen (1; 2021 with Tampa Bay).
The market for centers is thin, and there are questions bout the starting-caliber depth in the draft. DeCosta noted he's likely to sign a free agent in the coming days and weeks to fill the hole at least until the draft. Regardless of who he signs, it will be a need come April. Teams drafting for need have a much lower hit rate than those taking the best player, especially in the early rounds.
The last time Baltimore lost its starting center (Bozeman in 2022), they used a first-round pick on Linderbaum.
The Ravens attempted to retain Linderbaum, but after viewing the fifth-year option and franchise tag too out of line with the top of the market, Baltimore watched the cap-flush Raiders blow the market away, inking the center to a $27 million per year deal (next highest is Creed Humphry at $18 million).
DeCosta likened the quest to sign Linderbaum to the time he was trying to buy a house in Baltimore early in his scouting days. After he increased his initial offer, the seller came back and asked for his "best offer." DeCosta had already put that on the table.
"I was never going to get that house because the other people had more money to spend," DeCosta said. "That's kind of how I felt."
In this metaphor, DeCosta is now nearly homeless.
Currently, 2024 undrafted free agent Corey Bullock is penciled into the starting role. He appeared in 16 games in 2025, with zero starts, and played just 13 total snaps on offense (55 on special teams).