Left Guard: Position of Uncertainty

Most of the positions along the Baltimore Ravens offensive line seem to be solidified, except for one.

That would be the left guard position, where the recently departed Kelechi Osemele left a starting spot up for grabs. From the moment he was drafted, it was widely speculated that rookie Ronnie Stanley could start his career out at this spot, but that speculation ended when incumbent starting left tackle Eugene Monroe was released.  So who will grab up that starting spot for the season in training camp?  Let's have a look at a few candidates.

The first player to consider here is probably the one who has the best shot at taking the job.  That would be John Urschel, the football playing equivalent of John Nash.  Urschel has already made several spots starts at the position over his first two seasons in Baltimore and has filled in fairly well.  There is a caveat to this scenario, though.  Center Jeremy Zuttah was placed on injured reserve for a torn pectoral last season.

Urschel stepped in at center when Zuttah went down, and despite some early issues, he filled in admirably for the veteran.  A torn pectoral isn't an injury to take lightly, and it'll be difficult to know if Zuttah will be able to come back from it 100%.  If he isn't, look for Urschel to fill in at center, and the next candidate to play left guard.

That next candidate is Ryan Jensen, who will be entering his fourth season.  After the offensive line was decimated with injuries in 2015, Jensen filled in at left guard and did fairly well for someone who was not expected to.  He didn't play with a ton of discipline, but the mean streak that he showed was something that offensive line coach Juan Castillo can build upon.  This isn't the ideal scenario, but players a lot worse than Jensen come off of the bench for other teams.

These are the two most likely candidates to start at left guard for the Ravens in 2016.  Who do you think will take the job?  Let us know in the comments down below.