First signing (agreement) Ravens OG Ben Powers

[Draft Crazy]

Awesome move here. AWESOME! AWESOME! I really like this signing.

 

[megalodon30]

O-line help. Much needed.

 

[PumpFake]

 

[Duffman]

From ESPN:

Powers, 26, is a two-year starting left guard who improved as much as anyone on the Ravens' roster over that span. At the end of the 2022 season, general manager Eric DeCosta said Powers had a "phenomenal" season and predicted that Powers would be sought after in free agency.

In 2022, Powers led Baltimore with 1,096 snaps, becoming the only Ravens player to participate in every offensive play. He was known for his discipline, getting flagged for just one penalty. He also played his best football in close quarters, where he can use his power at the point of attack.

Powers was a big reason why the Ravens ranked No. 2 in the NFL in rushing last season. His run-block win rate of 78.8% was second-best among guards who played at least 200 snaps. Powers trailed only the Philadelphia Eagles' Landon Dickerson, who made the Pro Bowl.

A fourth-round pick in 2019, Powers was on the roster bubble for the first three years of his career. But he ended up starting 36 games in his four-year career for Baltimore, which had one of the best offensive lines in the league last season.

 

[Draft Crazy]

I love you guys.

 

[LGM]

Our Running game just got a lot better on paper. Let's hope it offsets any QB issues.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Our Running game just got a lot better on paper. Let's hope it offsets any QB issues.

Let's just hope we stay healthy. After the past few years I can't get excited about anything because nobody stays healthy.

Denver... where players go to get injured.

 

[LGM]

Let's just hope we stay healthy. After the past few years I can't get excited about anything because nobody stays healthy.

Denver... where players go to get injured.

I pulled a hammy just reading your post.

 

[PumpFake]

Let's just hope we stay healthy. After the past few years I can't get excited about anything because nobody stays healthy.

Denver... where players go to get injured.

Man, you cast that spell without slowing down.

 

[megalodon30]

Apparently the deal is two years with team options on each of the last two years.

Inside the Ben Powers deal

Ravens offensive lineman Ben Powers cashed in on Monday, with a four-year, $52 million deal to join the Broncos.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

 

[PumpFake]

The Athletic. I love this subscription.

How new Broncos guard Ben Powers fits Sean Payton’s scheme, helps Russell Wilson

The Broncos reached a contract agreement with former Ravens offensive guard Ben Powers on Monday, a league source told The Athletic, quickly addressing their biggest need at the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period.

The deal, which can not be made official until the start of the new league year Wednesday, is a four-year, $52 million contract with $28.5 million in guaranteed money, a league source confirmed.
Powers, a fourth-round pick of out of Oklahoma in 2019, was the No. 53 free agent on The Athletic’s Top 150 big board.

Here’s what else you need to know:

How he fits​

The Broncos made no secret about their biggest free-agent priority. After giving up a league-high 63 sacks in 2022 while struggling to create an effective rushing attack for much of the season, Denver entered this player movement period eager to improve its offensive line. Powers, who was one of the league’s most improved linemen in 2022, will step into the starting left guard spot vacated by Dalton Risner, a four-year starter in Denver who is expected to land elsewhere in free agency.

Powers was not a starter until his third season in the league, and he entered training camp in 2022 as a largely unproven commodity heading into the final year of his rookie contract. He answered with a standout season, finishing second in ESPN’s run-block win rate metric and 10th in its pass-block win rate category. He did not surrender a sack in 567 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. By numerous metrics, Powers was simply one of the best guards in the league last season.

Building the interior of the offensive line, through free agency and the draft, was a priority of Broncos coach Sean Payton throughout his time in New Orleans. Many of the building blocks he added during the first three years as coach of the Saints became key starters on the 2009 Super Bowl championship team. Payton’s quick-passing attack is predicated on stalling interior pressure, an area where Powers excelled last season.


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2023 impact​

By signing Powers, and later reportedly agreeing to terms with top right tackle free agent Mike McGlinchey, the Broncos immediately filled two starting spots on the offensive line. The Broncos have had a revolving door at right tackle for the better part of the past decade, and McGlinchey represents the most significant investment there since the team signed Ja’Waun James to an ill-fated three-year, $51 million deal in 2019. Powers replaces Risner, who was solid and durable after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2019. With Garett Bolles slated to return as the starting left tackle after missing most of last season with a leg injury and Quinn Meinerz poised to start at right guard, Denver is left to figure out its starting center job.

History​

As Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic’s Ravens reporter, noted at the outset of free agency, Powers was perceived to be on the roster bubble for Baltimore entering the start of training camp last year. Not only did he win the starting job at left guard, he became one of the team’s standout offensive players. Though the 26-year-old missed some time with a foot injury in 2021, Powers has largely been durable during his career, missing just four games over the past two seasons.

Cap update​

Though the full terms of the deal aren’t yet available, it’s reasonable to believe the Broncos will structure the deal with a reasonable cap hit in 2023. Denver entered free agency with $32.56 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, which was the seventh-most in the league, and pushing a chunk of that toward deals with Powers and McGlinchey is prudent spending for a team trying to quickly upgrade its offensive line.

Outlook​

Much of the Broncos’ success on offense, after finishing last in scoring in 2022, hinges on helping quarterback Russell Wilson bounce back from his worst statistical season. Denver moved fast to sign the kind of offensive linemen Payton believes will be able to help the Broncos become a more functional unit overall. If Powers’ 2022 season was just the start of his ascension as a player, Denver might have found an early steal in free agency.