One of the biggest question marks coming into the offseason was who the Ravens' starting right tackle would be.
Rick Wagner has answered that question on the field. On Monday, Head Coach John Harbaugh made it official.
Wagner will be the Ravens' starting right tackle on Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"He's earned it," Harbaugh said. "He earned that spot."
Wagner hasn't missed a rep with the first-team offense throughout the summer. He's held up extremely well, and, to a degree, gone unnoticed in stepping in for Michael Oher, who departed for Tennessee via free agency.
"I think the way you evaluate him is that not much is said about him," Offensive Line Coach Juan Castillo said. "Sometimes that's a good thing when [the media is] not saying, 'Oh, well he did this,' or 'He did [that].' You don't say much, because he's doing his job, and that's important to him."
Wagner has held up well in practice against Pro Bowl pass rusher Elvis Dumervil and heavy-handed run stopper Courtney Upshaw. He's also performed well in two preseason games, helping the Ravens average a league-high 194 rushing yards per game and not surrendering a sack.
"I think Rick has been solid," Harbaugh said. "Solid is the next step before being good and good is the next step before being great. I think he's on his way."
A second-year product out of Wisconsin, Wagner has a heavy base and is strong at the point of attack. Harbaugh said opponents have tried to bull rush him and he has "not really gotten moved too much at all."
"I'm proud of him," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh also gave praise to offensive tackle Jah Reid, who will be the Ravens' third tackle backing up Eugene Monroe and Wagner. Reid has also played well in practice and in the first two games.
"Jah has done a heck of a job too as far as working his way into the third tackle spot," Harbaugh said.
