Ravens feel vindicated; Daniel Faalele filled with confidence after being named Pro Bowl alternate

The converted offensive tackle’s ascension from experiment to known commodity is a testament to his commitment and his coaches’ unwavering faith in him.

As impressive as the Baltimore Ravens having a league-high nine players voted to the 2025 Pro Bowl is, one of the biggest takeaways from the list of alternates being revealed on Thursday was the naming of third-year offensive lineman Daniel Faalele and it is not because he is the literally the biggest player in the league at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds.

From the outside looking in, the 2022 fourth-rounder entered last summer as one of the top internal candidates to replace veteran stalwart Morgan Moses at right tackle even after the team selected rookie Roger Rosengarten in the second round out of Washington. However, the Ravens coaches had other plans for Faalele and despite having been a career tackle at every level he played at, they decided to try him out at right guard, one of the other vacancies that were created when they let Pro Bowl veteran Kevin Zeitler walk in free agency.

Faalele took the vast majority of the first-team reps at his new position throughout training camp and the team decided to get him more live reps and test his endurance by making him take the bulk of the reps in the preseason as well. When he opened the regular season as the starter, growing pains were expected. All the while he was experiencing them, he became a focal point and lightning rod for harsh criticism from the fan base and both local and national media including on this very website.

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After a rough first two games in which he struggled with consistency and picking up stunts, twists and blitzes as the Ravens fell into an early 0-2 hole, Faalele began to round into shape and has now become a force in the trenches for the Ravens. As a first-year starter, he has played 100% of the offensive snaps this season and according to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed just one sack and 30 pressures in 504 pass blocking opportunities this season.

Head coach John Harbaugh addressed the media following Faalele’s Pro Bowl alternate announcement after months of hearing and reading about how he shouldn’t even be playing on let alone starting for a Super Bowl contending team. When asked about it, he couldn’t help but crack a smile, puff his chest and take a victory lap.

“I feel great for him,” Harbaugh said. “He had to take a lot of criticism from some, some standing around this very circle right here. ‘When are you going to replace Daniel Faalale?’, and we didn’t bite. It paid off.

“I expect him to go play his best game on Saturday night, but I think it’s also a confidence boost for him that … he doesn’t just have to read what people think he’s not; he gets the chance to realize that players and coaches around the league – what they think he is – proven by when they vote for you to be in the Pro Bowl.”

Given that two-thirds of Pro Bowl nominations come from coaches and players while only one-third comes from fan voting, it is clear that Faalele earned the respect of his peers as well as the opposing coaching staffs around the league which is a major boost to his confidence heading into a pivotal postseason run for the Ravens.

“It means a lot,” Faalele said. “It gives me more confidence in myself, knowing that I belong. It’s a good achievement.” Next year I want to be in the Pro Bowl though.”

Faalele aims to continue his upward trajectory and shared that earning a Pro Bowl bid outright and not just as an alternate is one of his goals for next season. He is grateful to have gone through struggles early on in the season because being able to learn from them has forged him into the more consistent and at times dominant player he is now.

“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Faalele said. “I was able to learn from my losses and get better each week and just trust my coaching, trust each other.”

After not being introduced to the game of football all together until late in his high school career and not becoming a full-time starter in the NFL until his third season, the Ravens believe that Faalele is just starting to scratch the surface of his full potential.

“This is just the beginning for Daniel,” Harbaugh said. “I’m really happy for him and excited for him but I’m more excited for the player he’s gonna become.”