Ravens Have Major Decision Coming With Star OT

The Baltimore Ravens will have to answer some questions this offseason.
Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) grips the jersey of Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson (55) after a play in the fourth quarter during an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bengals advanced to the Divisional round of the playoffs with a 24-17 win over the Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Afc Wild Card Jan 15 373
Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) grips the jersey of Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson (55) after a play in the fourth quarter during an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bengals advanced to the Divisional round of the playoffs with a 24-17 win over the Ravens. Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Afc Wild Card Jan 15 373 / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Baltimore Ravens are getting ready to plan out their offseason, but one major domino has to fall first in order for the rest of the team to be sorted out.

The Ravens must figure out whether or not they will keep longtime offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

ESPN insider Jamison Hensley named Stanley's free agency as the biggest decision for the team this offseason.

"There's no question the Ravens would like to retain Stanley, who had a solid bounce-back season in blocking on Lamar Jackson's blind side," Hensley writes.

"He ranked 12th in pass block win rate among tackles (92.5%), played in every game for the first time in his nine-year career and continued to be a respected leader. The issue will be cost for Stanley, who is expected to be one of the top left tackles available in free agency. Baltimore, which is projected to have limited salary cap space, probably won't overspend on an offensive lineman who will turn 31 around the start of free agency."

Stanley has been with the team since he was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, so seeing him leave would certainly shake up the Ravens not just on the offensive line, but for the entire unit and team as well.

He's one of the longest-tenured players on the team, so replacing him and his impact on the culture for the organization wouldn't be easy. However, he is expected to command a lot of money in free agency, and that might be too much for the Ravens to be able to afford.

The Ravens have Roger Rosengarten on the right side after drafting him in the second round of last year's draft. He could be a Stanley replacement or the team could go pick one up in the draft in April.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.