Training camp is just underway and the process of trimming the rosters is underway for many teams. For the Baltimore Ravens, 2024 will be a pivotal season in the chase for a Super Bowl and if things do not go well it could lead to major changes in 2025, specifically long-time starter offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
USA Today’s “The Ravens Wire” writer Glenn Erby listed Stanley as his top “29 Ravens who could be in their final training camp with Baltimore.”
That is a tough pill to swallow for Ravens’ fans as the big left tackle has been a stalwart on the line since 2016. Stanley signed a 5-year, $98.75 million contract in 2020 and was considered to be a potential cap casualty earlier this offseason.
However, he agreed to a reworked contract during free agent, which reduced his cap hit to a more manageable $17 million for general manager Eric DeCosta. The reworked contract allowed for extra flexibility when constructing the team.
Stanley only has a $8.1 million cap hit in a now void year for 2025 but could be a post-June 1 cut leading to no cap hit according to OverTheCap. Entering a year where QB Lamar Jackson‘s cap hit will reach $43 million, DeCosta will need all the cap space he can muster to keep improving the team.
In 2025, Stanley will be 31 years old and based on his recent injury history could be limited going forward.
OT Ronnie Stanley Will Look to Remain Healthy This Season
The 2016 first-round pick started his career off extremely successfully, which culminated in a 2019 All-Pro First Team election. Stanley was considered one of the best left tackles in the lead and was a key building block for Baltimore.
However, following his new contract in 2020, Stanley’s injury concerns began to manifest and have been a reoccurring problem for the big man over the last four seasons.
Almost immediately after signing his contract, Stanley’s 2020 season ended with an ankle injury suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, things did not improve for the big man in 2021 as he suffered another season ending injury in Week 1 after rehabbing his first injury.
The last two years have been an improvement for Stanley as he played 11 games in 2022 and 13 in 2023, but at $99 million the coaches, front office, and fans are probably expecting more from the star tackle.
Stanley has missed games the last two seasons, and the plan in 2023 became to rotate Stanley with fellow tackles Morgan Moses and Patrick Mekari to keep all three of them healthy.
If Stanley hopes to continue his Ravens’ tenure beyond this season, staying healthy is going to be a major key for the tackle. If he can regain some of his early success or show he can maintain his health for the majority of the season, then he may earn a reprieve for the following year.
Stanely Is One of the Few Veterans on the Offensive Line
The Ravens are counting on Stanley to provide valuable snaps in the coming season as he is one the few returning lineman from 2023.
Moses, Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson are all on new teams leaving just Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum as returning members.
Much of the line will be rookies or players with limited experience competing for the starting jobs in training camp. The current depth chart lists Andrew Vorhees (who did not play his rookie season), Ben Cleveland and Roger Rosengarten (rookie) as the current starters.
Mekari is returning as the backup to Stanley but could be called upon to provide snaps are various positions along the line.
With an emphasis on the run game in front of RB Derrick Henry and Jackson, it will be paramount for the offensive line to gel quickly to hit the ground running.
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