Ravens OT In Best Shape In Years

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley is finally healthy after multiple injury-plagued seasons.
Oct 9, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) blocks Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendricksen (91 in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) blocks Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendricksen (91 in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
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Early on in his career, Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley was on pace to potentially become the next great lineman in franchise history.

The No. 6 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, Stanley was a consistent force in his first four seasons and even earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2019 as a key piece of the league's best overall offense. After that though, numerous injuries have taken a toll on Stanley's body. Two season-ending ankle injuries less than a year apart, as well as multiple smaller ailments since then, have made him look like a far cry from his past form at times.

As he enters his ninth NFL season though, Stanley is feeling better than he has in several years.

"I feel great. I feel like I'm as strong and as quick and as athletic as I've ever been. So, I'm ready to put that all on the field," Stanley told reporters Wednesday.

As one might expect, all those injuries took a toll on Stanley's mental state. While he was happy to see the team playing well, not being a part of that success was very hard for the former All-Pro.

"It was killing me. We may have been playing well, but it was really killing me on the inside just knowing that I wasn't playing to my potential," Stanley said. "That's something that is harder for me to live with. But, moving on from last year, I feel very good about this upcoming season."

Even for his injury issues, Stanley received a strong vote of confidence when the Ravens restructured his contract this offseason, ensuring he sticks around for at least another year. The Ravens could've designated him as a post-June 1 cut for maximum cap savings, but instead they showed faith in him to bounce back.

After all he's been through, Stanley is eager to prove his team right with that decision.

"I just wanted to be able to be the player I know I could be for the whole season, for my team, for myself [and] for my family," Stanley said. "But, [I was] just really making sure that – because I know what it takes to do that – just making sure that I was focused on doing the things I needed to do to get there. It may have been different from other years in the past that I needed to focus on to be to that same level. So, this offseason, [I] did a lot of things to get there."

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