OWINGS MILLS —Ravens offensive lineman Daniel Faalele transitioned from tackle to guard this offseason and has enjoyed the challenge of learning a new position.
Faalele put himself in position to start at right guard in the regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 5th. He thinks playing against aggressive Ravens defenders in practice like defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and Travis Jones has prepared him for the rigors of the new position.
“I feel really comfortable right now,” Faalele said. “I just feel like going up against [Justin] Madubuike and ‘Big Trav’ [Travis Jones] and all of the defensive line that we have, I’ve been able to get the best practice. It’s been good work, and I feel confident.”
Faalele was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He has appeared in 16 games in each of the past two seasons at both offensive tackle positions
Faalele is an imposing player at 6 feet 8, 380 pounds. The Ravens’ coaches thought that would be an advantage for a guard and matching up with the opponent’s interior pass rush.
Faalele was excited about the change in position and getting an opportunity to be a full-time starter. He felt comfortable at guard in the second week of training camp, especially with his footwork, the placement of his hands, and keeping his thumbs up for better leverage.
“For me, I was just excited for the opportunity,” Faalele said. “I just want to help the team win in any way I can and just do my job and play my part. The thing I’ll always lean back on is [the] opportunity. I’m just trying to do my best at it and do my job.
“In some aspects, guard is better for me. Just being bigger and being able to take up more space inside, it shuts down a lot of different moves that a D-lineman would have on someone smaller. I don’t mind [playing either position]. I just want to play.”
Faalele played well enough in training camp to become one of three new starters on the offensive line. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and Linderbaum are the only two returning starters from last season. Second-year player Andrew Vorhees will take over at left guard and rookie Roger Rosengareten and veteran Pat Mekari are vying for the job at left tackle.
However, coach John Harbaugh declined to name those players after practice Monday for competitive reasons.
“I’m not going to make any announcements on any starting announcements going into the Chiefs game,” Harbaugh said. “What would be the point? We’ll just go play the game.”
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and Harbaugh will finalize the 53-man roster by Tuesday at 4 p.m. The team has been preparing for the Week 1 game against the Chiefs.
Faalele is looking forward to that game.
“[I’ll] really emphasize using my length, just pass [protect], getting to my spot, getting set and just working on the silent cadence with [center] Tyler [Linderbaum] and [the other] centers and just getting more comfortable with that,” Faalele said.