Today the Bengals slightly upgraded the guard position by signing former Carolina Panther Travelle Wharton. Former Bengal Evan Mathis also made some money today. He re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for five years and 25 million, with seven million guaranteed. The Baltimore Ravens had been in pursuit of Mathis and offered him what Mathis described as "a nice deal."
The Ravens also lost former starting guard Ben Grubbs to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. Losing Grubbs and failing to sign Mathis is obviously going to hurt the Ravens, especially since they play in possibly the most physical division in the league. Left guard may now be the most glaring hole that Baltimore has. AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley lists some possibilities to replace Grubbs:
"In terms of free agency, the Ravens could sign either a veteran cast-off like Eric Steinbach or Robert Gallery, or pursue someone younger like Chilo Rachal, who lost his starting job in San Francisco after a solid 2010 season. Another potential fit would be Kyle Kosier, who is reportedly getting cut by the Cowboys. Kosier is 33 and has had some injury issues, but he's been described as the leader of the Cowboys' offensive line."
The Ravens also have some possibilities in the draft when it comes to replacing Grubbs. Wisconsin's Peter Konz is a possibility for the Ravens at pick 29. Konz played center at Wisconsin, put it has been said that he could likely move over to guard as well. The Ravens signed their own center Matt Birk to a new three year deal on Friday, so Konz would not be needed at center, but would certainly give them some versatility. Other possibilities include Konz's teammate Kevin Zeitler, Midwestern State's Amini Silatolu, and Georgia's Cordy Glenn, if he somehow lasts that long.