Roger Rosengarten's NFL career couldn't have started any worse, as Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones blew past him, sacked Lamar Jackson, and forced a fumble that Kansas City recovered.
"Any player for that to happen to, that's tough. First play as a rookie, it's really tough," veteran offensive lineman Patrick Mekari said this week.
Just three games later, Rosengarten had earned a starting spot on the Ravens' offensive line as a second-round rookie and his first snap as a starter went a whole lot better.
He was the point of attack block in the Ravens' wham concept with Derrick Henry on the first play against an attacking Bills defensive front. Rosengarten walled off his man and Henry ran behind him untouched for an 87-yard touchdown.
A screaming Rosengarten sprinted the entire way behind Henry and was the first offensive lineman by a mile to greet the running back in the end zone.
"I remember just running behind him like I had the ball," Rosengarten said on "The Lounge" podcast. "I was so happy. I was like, 'Go, go!' It was awesome. I don't think any rookie first play could go better than mine did."
That's just like Rosengarten. When he looks back, his first play is the Henry touchdown, not the Jones sack. It's that ability to leave mistakes in the rear-view mirror and keep improving that has impressed the Ravens' veteran offensive linemen. It's also a quality that will probably come in handy Sunday.
Rosengarten is preparing for his first battle against Steelers pass rusher extraordinaire T.J. Watt Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The former Defensive Player of the Year and six-time Pro Bowler will surely have some wins against the Ravens rookie, but Rosengarten is looking forward to a 60-minute fight.
"I'm excited," Rosengarten said Tuesday. "He's one of the NFL greats. He's part of that Watt family lineage that's football royalty. To go against a guy like that, it's going to be an awesome, awesome matchup for me, so I'm excited."
Not long after the adrenaline of being drafted surged through his body, Rosengarten's thoughts turned to the great AFC North pass rushers he would be asked to block – Watt, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, etc.
But while Garrett and Hendrickson primarily line up over the left tackle, Watt almost exclusively goes against the right tackle. While other Ravens will surely be tapped in to help, Watt will be Rosengarten's assignment.
As he does every week, Rosengarten is studying Watt's moves, trying to pinpoint how he'll try to contain the man he accurately dubbed a "game wrecker." And as he's done every other week, he's asking lots of questions and getting advice.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley said he's telling Rosengarten to focus on himself this week – not get caught up thinking about the challenge of blocking Watt.
"There's going be wins and losses. That's part of it," Stanley said. "But it's all about how you react to these situations and how you grow from them. And anytime something bad has happened, he's always grown from it."
Offensive linemen are more likely to give a teammate a ribbing than a heap of compliments – especially for a rookie. But even a grizzled veteran such as Mekari can't help but like Rosengarten. Asked what stands out about the rookie, he started with a "good guy" and "great person."
"Really hard worker. [He] has a desire to get better, which is cool to see," Mekari said. "He is totally comfortable and desires critique and wants to hear your opinion on certain things, which is great. He wants to apply it. Like, he'll work extra at it, see what it looks like, see what it feels like. Good rookie."
It's not that Rosengarten has been perfect as a rookie. But he's been consistently growing. Since that sack he allowed to Jones on his first snap, he's allowed just two more sacks in his 278 pass blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He received one of his highest pass protection grades of the season against the Bengals on Thursday night.
"From when I first came in and got drafted, I just wanted to have that snowball effect of just getting better each and each day, because I know immediate success is rare," Rosengarten said.
"It's not like it can't happen, but success, it's a slow process. So for me, I'm just taking it day by day and just trying to keep it going, play good ball and clean up more and more things week by week."
Late Ravens offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris was the first to tell Rosengarten that he's not truly a Raven until he beats the Steelers – a common refrain in Baltimore. Rosengarten wants to earn those strips, just like he's earned his spot on the Ravens' offensive line.
But even beyond Sunday's game, this is just the first of many battles Rosengarten will likely have with Watt. And he'll learn from it either way.
"He's playing really well," Mekari said. "He's tough. He fights through injuries. He's a good player, and he's young. So he's going to keep getting better and he's going to have a good, long career."
