Ravens Place OL Hakeem Adeniji on Reserved/Retired List Days After Signing

In a strange turn of events, the Baltimore Ravens have placed offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji on the reserver/retired list, per the NFL's daily transaction wire.

Adeniji was one of the many players who secured a workout with the Ravens nearly two weeks ago on June 24. Just a day later, the lineman was signed to the roster. 

Read more: Ravens OC Gives Insight on Changes for Lamar Jackson, Offense

Now, it appears something has transpired that has led to the former Dallas Cowboys lineman stepping away from football. It could be a number of things that led to Adeniji stepping away from the game, and those details have not been made public just yet.

Baltimore has made many strides to improve the offensive line, bringing in the likes of John Simpson, Danny Pinter, Ethan Pocic, and Jovaughn Gwyn. Adeniji was a more recent signing at the outset of training camp beginning.

Additionally, the Ravens used their first-round pick to select consensus top guard Vega Ioane, who is already settling into the right guard position and will be a presumed Day 1 starter.

Protecting Lamar Jackson will be paramount, as the Ravens' offense is being overhauled by new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Doyle has impressed many fellow coaches and players, and the coach has also made some significant changes.

One of those changes is Jackson hiking the ball directly from the center as opposed to playing from the pistol or gun formation. Doyle indicated that the quarterback played well with the change.

Jackson himself also stated that he operated as such while playing in high school, so it's not a major change.

With Jackson taking the ball directly from center, it will be vastly important to have a quality center to make first contact, which is why the Ravens went out and signed Pocic. The longtime veteran has 97 starts to his name and should be the shoo-in for the starting position.

Head coach Jesse Minter did indicate that the starting center position will still be a competition, but Pocic is the far more experienced lineman at center. 

Read more: Ravens' Derrick Henry Is Not Considering Retirement At All

Competition will matter a great deal for 2026, especially on the offensive line. Minter must find the best five to protect Jackson and keep the run game going, as Derrick Henry figures to be with the team for multiple more years, considering he shut down the idea of retiring. 

With Adeniji stepping away from the game, it would not be surprising to see the Baltimore front office potentially bring in even more depth on the line.