Baltimore Ravens starting center Jovaughn Gwyn is expected to miss two to three months after fracturing his fibula in last Sunday’s game, according to a report Wednesday that also indicated the injury is likely to require surgery.
Gwyn was carted off during Baltimore’s 34-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, the NFL’s first regular-season game in Brazil. He had started the first three games of the season after winning the job in training camp.
The timetable means Gwyn’s return before the end of the regular season is uncertain. Ravens coach Jesse Minter had already described the injury as one that would keep Gwyn out for an extended stretch.
Backup center Ethan Pocic also left the same game with a knee injury. Minter said Monday that both issues looked long term.
“I don’t have the full details, but they both look like they’ll be a little bit long term,” Minter said.
Rookie first-round pick Vega Ioane, selected 14th overall this year, shifted from right guard to center to finish the Cowboys game. Minter said Ioane will prepare to start there Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Ioane had started the first three games at right guard. Andrew Vorhees finished the Rio contest at that spot after the late-game shuffle.
The Ravens worked out veteran centers Graham Glasgow and Kingsley Eguakun, along with guard Kyle Hergel, on Tuesday as they searched for interior line depth.
Gwyn, 27, is in his first season as a full-time starter. A seventh-round pick by Atlanta in 2023, he spent three years as a reserve with the Falcons before signing with Baltimore this offseason.
His absence is the latest problem in Baltimore’s effort to replace Tyler Linderbaum. The three-time Pro Bowl center signed a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in March, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player at the position.
Danny Pinter had been in line to start at center before a season-ending knee injury in August. That left Gwyn and Pocic as the primary options heading into the regular season.
Pocic, a nine-year veteran with 97 career starts, signed a one-year deal in July while still recovering from a torn Achilles last December. He had played only 10 offensive snaps this season before the knee injury.
The Ravens’ offensive line ranks 29th in ESPN’s pass-blocking win rate through three weeks and third in run-blocking win rate. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley also missed the Cowboys game with a toe injury.
Baltimore is 2-1 and hosts Tennessee on Sunday. The team has not placed Gwyn or Pocic on injured reserve yet, though Minter indicated both could land there, which would require a minimum four-game absence.
Ioane took snaps on the Ravens’ late scoring drive in Rio, which produced the go-ahead touchdown and set up the winning field goal. Coaches had given him some emergency center work after Pinter’s camp injury.
The Ravens now face a short week of preparation with a reshuffled interior and questions about whether they will add another veteran before kickoff.
