Jesse Minter announces winner of Ravens' final position battle ahead of Week 1

Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter announced who will be starting at a key position for the team on Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens are less than a week away from getting their 2026 NFL season underway. Most of the training camp positional battles have been sorted out with so little time remaining, but before Monday, there was still one key area for head coach Jesse Minter to decide on: the center position. Later in the day, fans got their answer. 'Ravens HC Jesse Minter announced Jovaughn Gwyn will start at center Sunday vs. the Colts,' reported ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on X, formerly Twitter. The center position took a big hit this offseason in Baltimore when Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum opted to take his talents West and joined the Las Vegas Raiders on a lucrative contract in free agency, leaving a gaping hole in the middle for the Ravens. Article Continues Below Gwen was a 2023 seventh round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons and signed with the Ravens in March of this year. Now, he will have a big opportunity to showcase his skills on a Baltimore team that many expect to be a legit Super Bowl contender this year. Last season was filled with frustration for the Ravens, as the team stumbled out of the gates to another lackluster start, hampered by a hamstring injury to star quarterback Lamar Jackson that lingered for several weeks, and the team ended up missing the playoffs altogether as a result. This time around, the Ravens will hope to extract whatever they can out of aging veteran Derrick Henry in the backfield, while also praying that Jackson is able to stay healthy in what is likely to be one of the final years of his athletic peak, when his devastating speed is still at its highest level. Kickoff vs the Indianapolis Colts is set for Sunday at 1:00 pm ET.