There’s a lot more nuances to this offense. You get out there for the first time and (Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco) sounds like he’s speaking Spanish in the huddle. You’ve got to go, ‘Joe, slow down, enunciate just a little bit. – Tony Bergstrom
Eighteen days ago, former Utah offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom found himself on a new NFL team, traded from Arizona to Baltimore with four pro starts to his name.
Now, the Salt Lake City native has the chance to earn a full-time starting job for the Ravens, his fourth NFL team in three seasons.
A season-ending ankle fracture for guard Marshal Yanda on the first play of the second half in the Ravens’ 24-10 win over Cleveland on Sunday made that possible.
Yanda is a six-time Pro Bowler who was named the top offensive lineman in the NFL last year by Pro Football Focus, and his injury has thrust the spotlight now on Bergstrom, who will have first dibs at filling in for the reliable veteran.
According to Press Box Online, Ravens team owner Steve Biscotti asked coach Jim Harbaugh what he thought about Bergstrom before Baltimore’s game against Cleveland and Harbaugh acknowledged he hadn’t seen him play, but Bergstrom practiced well.
"Now I have seen him play, and I thought he played well," Harbaugh said following the game, according to Press Box Online. "No one can replace Marshal Yanda — no one person. But, I think we traded for (Bergstrom) for a reason, and our scouts believed in him. It looks like a good trade. Everyone is going to have to collectively raise their effort level, their execution level, to make up for the loss of a player like Marshal."
Baltimore placed Yanda on injured reserve on Tuesday. He's the latest offensive lineman casualty for the Ravens since late July, including losing starting left tackle Alex Lewis to a shoulder injury, center John Urschel to retirement and guard Nico Siragusa to a knee injury, according to ESPN.
“It’s brutal. Obviously, you can’t replace a guy like that," Bergstrom said of Yanda, according to the Ravens' website. "The toughness he has and the kind of character he brings to the team, it’s rough. … There’s no replacing him, but you still have to move on.”
He played 32 offensive snaps on Sunday against the Browns and was flagged for holding once while also playing five special teams snaps. Learning a new offense this quickly has come at Bergstrom fast, and the Ravens reported he has been working with offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris to learn blocking schemes.
“There’s a lot more nuances to this offense,” Bergstrom told the Ravens. “You get out there for the first time and (Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco) sounds like he’s speaking Spanish in the huddle. You’ve got to go, ‘Joe, slow down, enunciate just a little bit.’”
Bergstrom entered the league as a third-round draft pick by Oakland in 2012, starting one game that year, then starting three more for the Raiders in 2015. In 2016, he joined the Houston Texans and played as a reserve in 15 games.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Bergstrom, who also has worked as a center in the pros, signed with the Cardinals in the spring as a free agent but couldn't climb the depth chart in Arizona. According to team writer Darren Urban, he would have been released by the team prior to the season if they haven't traded him to Baltimore for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2018.
In Week 1, Bergstrom played four snaps for the Ravens on special teams in a 20-0 victory over Cincinnati.
Now, his workload will continue to increase as Bergstrom hopes to land a permanent spot in the starting lineup.
"It's kind of what my career has been, just always being ready," Bergstrom told Press Box Online. "I prepare the same way, I watch all the same film, maybe get a few more reps in practice now, which will be nice. ... They have a process here, and you believe in the process and respect the process."