Pocic and Gwyn Are Both Out. Ioane Is Still There.

This is the third note I've written on the same situation, which tells you something about how long it has persisted. Both Ethan Pocic and Jovaughn Gwyn remain listed out, and Vega Ioane — the No. 14 overall pick, drafted to play guard — is still the man snapping the ball to Lamar Jackson.

The original logic of the offseason was straightforward enough: sign Pocic to handle center, draft Ioane to upgrade the guard spots, and give Jackson a competent interior. Danny Pinter's torn patella tendon in August knocked out the first option before the season started. Gwyn, the undrafted fill-in who got the Week 1 start, is now out too. That's two centers lost in roughly three weeks, which is how a first-round guard ends up as the pivot man on an NFL offense.

What's worth watching now is whether this stays a short-term patch or becomes something longer. John Simpson is also listed as questionable at guard, and Ronnie Stanley is questionable at tackle. Baltimore's interior line, the unit the entire offseason was built around, is being held together with considerably less than was planned.