Lamar Jackson & Ravens Hit With Nightmare Development Ahead Of 2026 Season

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The Baltimore Ravens headed into joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings hoping to sharpen up before the regular season. Instead, they walked away with a significant setback.

Center Danny Pinter suffered a torn patella tendon during Wednesday’s joint practice session with the Vikings in Eagan, Minnesota. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo were among the first to report the injury. 

“Ravens C Danny Pinter suffered a torn patella tendon in yesterday’s joint practice with the #Vikings, sources tell me and @RapSheet,” Rapoport wrote. “A rough one for Baltimore and Pinter, who had impressed while working with the starters in camp.”

Pinter was carted off the field wearing a full-leg brace, and the injury is expected to end his 2026 season. Torn patellar tendons typically require six to 12 months of recovery, a timeline that would keep him sidelined well beyond this year regardless of how the process goes.

Pinter Had Been Leading The Center Competition

The timing stings for both Pinter and the Ravens. He signed a one-year deal with Baltimore in March after the team lost longtime starter Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders in free agency, a departure that immediately opened up the center job. 

Pinter had taken the bulk of first-team reps throughout training camp and started Baltimore’s preseason opener against the Eagles, putting him in a strong position to win the role outright.

Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed the severity of the injury without offering further details. “We’ll see how that shakes out,” Minter said. He added that Pinter “probably will miss an extended amount of time.”

Baltimore Turns To Pocic And Gwyn At Center

With Pinter likely done for the year, the Ravens now lean on veteran Ethan Pocic and second-year player Jovaughn Gwyn to fill the void. 

Pocic signed with Baltimore in July on a one-year, $3.25 million deal and was working his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in December. Minter said the plan all along had been to ramp Pocic up around this point in camp, a timeline the Pinter injury has now accelerated.

Gwyn, meanwhile, has drawn praise throughout camp, and Minter specifically highlighted his play immediately after Pinter went down, when Gwyn helped spring open running lanes against Minnesota’s defense.

Protecting the interior of Baltimore’s line matters plenty for a team built around Lamar Jackson’s ability to extend plays and create explosive runs. Losing Linderbaum already left a hole up front, and Pinter’s injury forces Baltimore to sort out center by committee heading into the regular season.

The Ravens continue their joint practices with the Vikings on Thursday before the two teams meet in preseason action this weekend.