'He’ll Play Well' – Backup Ravens Lineman Touted for Week 2 Start is Team’s Best Kept Secret

Patrick Mekari’s Career to Date

Mekari joined the Ravens as an undrafted rookie following the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft. His arrival came with little media attention until he started impressing coaches at camp. The young lineman’s stellar off-season led to him being touted as the team’s starting center as a rookie.

Since then, Mekari has flexed his versatility even more. He has played at center, guard and tackle and is currently listed as Baltimore’s first backup at both left and right tackle.

Since 2019, Mekari has amassed 55 career games with 29 starts. He has never been the most impressive player in terms of physicality. However, his football IQ and strong foundations have made him Baltimore’s top backup lineman.

2022 was a good year for Mekari. The rotational lineman was the Ravens offense’s ninth best player according to PFF. He was given an astonishing PFF grade of 73.1. That is undoubtedly an impressive feat for a backup player that often plays different positions through the season.

Week 2 at the Cincinnati Bengals

In 2022’s Week 5 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Mekari played right tackle for the Ravens. He was Baltimore’s fourth highest graded player per PFF (77.3) in that game. In 2023’s Week 2 fixture, Mekari will be hoping to replicate that performance.

Week 1 was quiet for Mekari. He played just 13 snaps on offense and accounted for an average PFF grade of 60.6. Week 2, however, promises to give Mekari more challenges (or, perhaps, opportunities).

In Week 1, the Ravens offensive line looked dysfunctional. Their lack of preseason minutes showed as the starting five appeared to lack chemistry. As a result, Will Anderson Jr. stood out. The third overall pick had the most quarterback pressures of any rookie edge rusher since Nick Bosa.

Against the Bengals, Mekari will face off against some very decent edge rushers. Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson will likely keep Mekari’s hands full. Not to mention Lou Anarumo’s sprinkling of clever pass rush designs. Needless to say, this will be a tough matchup for Mekari in a hostile environment.

Baltimore’s offensive plan must help Mekari out, however. Against the Texans, Baltimore had a slow approach to offense that featured a balanced playbook. Given that Mekari and stand-in center Sam Mustipher are, ultimately, backups, it would make sense to vary the pace of the game more. Quick passes will help Mekari and Mustipher as they will not need to hold blocks for as long.

Mark Andrews’ return should aid the short passing game. On top of that, Andrews is an excellent blocking tight end who could be deployed to support Mekari. Charlie Kolar and Pat Ricard could also be used in this way.

John Simpson won the battle for left guard this off-season. Simpson and Mekari are certainly adequate starters but will not be a major strength. For this reason, expect Monken to direct more plays out to the right side of the offensive line, behind Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses. This will take some pressure off Simpson and Mekari.