OWINGS MILLS -- By the time Jared Gaither quietly and officially left the Baltimore Ravens last summer, he was an afterthought, a mere footnote about squandered potential.

A towering offensive tackle from the University of Maryland, the 6-foot-9, 340-pounder’s three-year tenure with the Ravens was derailed by injuries and his lack of a strong commitment to football.

Now, Gaither is slowly rebuilding his career with the San Diego Chargers and is poised to square off with his former teammates Sunday night in a high-profile nationally televised game.

“I have definitely matured, just through lessons throughout the seasons and the NFL,” Gaither said. “Even leaving different teams and going to different teams, you learn more. I’m getting older. And with age, you do mature more.”

A former fifth-round draft pick in the NFL supplemental draft after dealing with academic ineligibility issues when he played for former Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen, Gaither was an initial hit as the replacement for retired All-Pro left tackle Jonathan Ogden.

However, his time with the Ravens hit a crossroads during the spring of 2010.

Behind the scenes, Gaither was lobbying general manager Ozzie Newsome for a lucrative contract extension through agent Drew Rosenhaus. And his demands weren’t met by a front office unwilling to make a long-term financial commitment to a player who lacked consistency on and off the field and wasn’t paying the price in the weight room.

“He was a good tackle here for us,” said Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who will be rushing the passer against Gaither on Sunday night. “Of course, the business side of it got in the way of us having him.”

A mysterious foot injury sidelined Gaither at a minicamp simultaneous to being shifted to right offensive tackle and replaced by Michael Oher on the left side.

Then, Gaither showed up for training camp months later 30 pounds lighter at a skinny 311 pounds. He developed back spasms after being bull-rushed in pass-rush drills by heavier teammates.

It was later diagnosed by California back specialist Dr Robert Watkins as a thoracic disc injury and the Ravens placed Gaither on injured reserve on Oct. 23, 2010.

He wasn’t retained by Baltimore as a free agent, and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I just had an unfortunate back injury, basically,” Gaither said. “I assume that’s why it ended how it ended. I’m still young in my career. I still have a lot of football to go. I wouldn’t speculate or waste my time trying to guess or wonder.

“You just have to move on, and I’ve done so. Everything that took place in history helped me to be a better person now. I’m looking forward to just keep on building and getting better.”

The Chiefs cut him on Nov. 29 after committing a key penalty and he was claimed off waivers by the Chargers.

Since then, Gaither has emerged as a key figure for a Chargers offensive line decimated by injuries.

“Jared is playing really, really well,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s playing really hard, he’s very physical. He’s been just stellar both in run and pass. So, he’s really upgraded their offensive line tremendously. I’m happy for him. He’s done a nice job.”

Gaither has started the past two games at left tackle and will be assigned Sunday night to block Suggs, who leads the Ravens with 13 sacks.

For a beleaguered offensive line that lost starting left tackle Marcus McNeill for the season, claiming Gaither has turned out to be a wise move.

“When Jared was cut by Kansas City, it was a no-brainer for us,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “It solidified our line, to be honest with you. I didn’t know how Jared would do. I knew he was athletic, but he’s been great for us the last two games and played good with very short notice.

“He’s a big man, long arms and he’s a very good athlete. So, he’s kind of bailed us out. I don’t know where we would have been without him. I don’t think we would have won the last two games, and I think we would have continued to struggle to protect the quarterback.”

Gaither was dismissive of the Chiefs’ decision to part ways with him, noting that they recently fired coach Todd Haley.

“They brought up some younger guys,” he said. “Obviously they are trying different things and now they fired their coach. So, they have some things they have to figure out obviously.”

The Ravens remember how difficult it was to get past Gaither.

His combination of nimble feet as a former prep blue-chip basketball power forward offered a scholarship to the University of South Carolina, long arms, massive wingspan and natural strength presents a challenge.

“He’s a great athlete,” defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. “I think if he was still here, he would probably be playing. He’s a big guy that can move around. You can’t really get around him a lot of the time. Hopefully, our guys on the end can get him some good work this weekend and maybe we can smash on him a little bit, too.”

Turner said the Chargers will provide some assistance to Gaither and not simply leave him matched up alone against Suggs.

Suggs has seven sacks in the past three games and was just named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

“He can pretty much do it all,” Gaither said. “That’s why he’s up for Defensive Player of the Year. I’m looking forward to the matchup.”

On his third NFL team and happy to be starting again, Gaither said he harbors no animosity toward the Ravens.

Now relocated thousands of miles away in Southern California, the Maryland native has literally and figuratively moved onward.

“Not at all, they’re a great organization,” Gaither said. “Ozzie gave me my start, and I’m very appreciative for it. I’m blessed each and every day I wake up and I’m able to play this game at a high level. I’m blessed with that and very thankful to be in the best business in football, which is the NFL.”