Baltimore Ravens center Danny Pinter reportedly suffered a torn patella tendon.
UPDATE:
Jesse Minter has confirmed that Pinter will "miss an extended period of time," but he did not confirm the injury that the center suffered.
Baltimore Ravens center Danny Pinter has reportedly suffered a torn patella tendon. This type of injury would likely require surgery and is likely to end the offensive lineman's season.
NFL insider Mike Garofolo reported the news on X, revealing that a source has informed him of the injury to Pinter.
Pinter suffered the injury during the joint practice between the Ravens and Minnesota Vikings. The lineman appeared to get rolled on and had to be carted off the field.
There were no official injury designations revealed by head coach Jesse Minter, and he indicated that Pinter would receive tests to determine what the injury was.
According to Sports Injury Central, "the patellar tendon connects the kneecap (patella) to the shin bone (tibia) and is a key part of the knee extensor mechanism ... A complete tear disrupts this mechanism entirely, making normal movement impossible."
Essentially, Pinter will have to undergo surgery, and additional reports indicate that this type of tendon tear can sometimes be worse than ACL tears.
Pinter was in the middle of the center competition for the Ravens line, and had been so along with Jovaughn Gwyn through OTAs, minicamp, and training camp.
During the Ravens' first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Pinter played in 15 snaps, drawing a 79.5 pass block grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Pinter was among the additions that the Baltimore team made to improve its offensive line, bringing in Pinter, fellow center Ethan Pocic, guards Jovaughn Gwyn and John Simpson, along with drafting rookie Vega Ioane.
The idea was to improve the offensive line in a major way to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson while also opening run lanes for Derrick Henry. Both are integral to the success of the team.
Minter has also stated that the center competition was rolling on and would likely not be decided until the end of preseason. Pinter had been a favorite and played well through training camp thus far.
Gwyn remains a favorite as well, and he will now presumably be up against Ethan Pocic and Corey Bullock to land the starting position.
Losing Pinter is a big blow to the Ravens line, cause even if he had not won the starting center job, he would have assuredly been a top center backup and lineman that would be called on in case of injury or rotational situations.
Minter has not yet confirmed the injury, but will likely do so following the conclusion of the second joint practice with the Vikings.
