Ravens have one of the best and brightest offensive lines in the NFL

With right guard Marshall Yanda showing up at number 5 on PFF's top 101 players of 2014, Ravens fans already know that Baltimore's offensive line is one of the best in the league.

Looking at the list of starting offensive lines by average age, the Ravens look even better here.

NFL projected starting OL, ranked by average age: pic.twitter.com/mY6lj3C27G

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) May 17, 2015

Now you might be wondering why this is such a good thing that the Ravens are near the top of this list, and you'd be right to wonder. At an average age of 27.2, the Ravens rank as the 10th oldest line in the league. However, when you dive into it a little more, you realize that the Ravens have many young starters on the line and the average age is being inflated by guard Marshall Yanda at age 30.

From left to right, the Ravens have:

LT - Eugene Monroe (28)
LG - Kelechi Osemele (25)
C - Jeremy Zuttah (28)
RG - Marshall Yanda (30)
RT - Ricky Wagner (25)

Without Yanda, the average age goes down to 26.5, which would bring the Ravens at right about middle of the road on the list.

Now no one wants Yanda to disappear from the roster by any means, as the Ravens are reportedly working hard on giving the Pro Bowl guard a contract extension that should see Yanda retire a Raven. But it should be noted that the Ravens are getting some of the best bang for the buck with their offensive line. Monroe, Zuttah are already signed long term. Ricky Wagner is entering his third NFL season and won't be ready for a contract extension until after next season. As mentioned earlier, the Ravens are looking to extend Marshall Yanda and are reportedly looking at Kelechi Osemele after Yanda signs his deal.

If the Ravens can lock up Osemele and Yanda this offseason, they will present the most dominant offensive line in the league by far, with all members being signed for at least 2 more seasons. Outside of the Seahawks and Cowboys, the Ravens have the best overall line at the lowest average age, giving them more time to gel together and improve as a unit.

Quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Justin Forsett have to be happy to see that they should both be behind one of the best and overall brightest offensive lines in the league for many more years.