Uncertainty with Ronnie Stanley Looms Large for Ravens

Left tackle is dealing with ankle injury

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The health of Ronnie Stanley is one of the biggest questions hanging over the Ravens this offseason. 

Stanley suffered a devastating ankle injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8 of the 2020 season and underwent surgery. 

The Ravens were counting on Ronnie Stanley to occupy his usual spot at left tackle last year. However, Stanley played in the regular-season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders but never appeared in another game because he aggravated the injury.

That left not only a huge void at tackle but also handicapped the Ravens in the free-agent market because of Stanley's contract, which amounted to $10 million in salary-cap space. 

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is confident Stanley will be fully healthy for the upcoming season. However, the team will need to select a tackle in next month's draft, perhaps with the 14th overall pick, in case Stanley still is hampered by the injury. 

"I feel like I can say Ronnie feels farther ahead now than he did at the same stage last year," DeCosta said. "He's excited, he's very optimistic, I think he's working hard. As an organization, we're very optimistic. As I said before, I'm not going to make the same mistake. We'll have contingency plans moving forward. But we're optimistic that Ronnie is making good progress."

The Raven selected Stanley in the first round of the 2016 draft (sixth overall) from Notre Dame. 

In 2019, Stanley earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after helping Baltimore set an NFL record for single-season rushing yards (3,296) and produce the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense (33.2 ppg).

In November 2020, Stanley signed a five-year, $98.75 million one week before being carted off the field in the first quarter against the Steelers with the ankle injury. That setback also kept him out for most of last season. 

Last year, the Ravens moved Alejandro Villanueva from right tackle to the left side to replace Stanley, but he had some struggles and retired this offseason. 

DeCosta needs to fill the void.

"If you look at this draft class, you’re going to have, in my opinion, some really outstanding offensive linemen, for sure," DeCosta said.