It was reported last week that the Baltimore Ravens will be tabling any contract talks with LT Bryant McKinnie until after the upcoming draft. With the purge of talent the Ravens have undergone this offseason, that could be a crucial error. The Ravens need to re-sign McKinnie, and do it right away.
Baltimore is going to be struggling to revamp the defensive unit, and to fill many holes created through free agent departures and retirement of players. The last thing they need is to be worrying about is who will be protecting the blindside of now mega-contract owning QB Joe Flacco.
While it is possible that Kelechi Osemele could move into the LT spot, allowing Michael Oher to remain at RT, that could end up being a disastrous plan for Baltimore. The simple fact is, Osemele is not ready to take over the responsibility of being a starting LT in the NFL, especially protecting one of the most prized quarterbacks in the league.
When playing at right tackle during the 2012 season, Osemele had a lot of trouble with outside speed rushers, and that’s something that would only be magnified on the left side. In short, Flacco would be wondering where that truck came from far too often.
This is one of those occasions where the Ravens need to handle the business at a given position before the draft, and then see what possible future replacements they can find. It will be much easier to bite the bullet on a deal for McKinnie now than it will be to replace Joe Flacco later.
————————————————————————–
Michael Collins is a Rant Sports Senior Writer, and Atlanta sports columnist. Follow him @GaSportsCraze on Twitter and here on Facebook
