Ravens should try to extend OT Ronnie Stanley sooner rather than later

The former All Pro is well on his way regaining his elite form in a resurgent contract season.

Several players on the Baltimore Ravens roster entered the 2024 season in a contract year, or with something to prove. Both descriptions applied to veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley after reworking his contract with the Ravens to take a $7.5 million pay cut.

Coming off his first fully healthy offseason since the one that followed his breakout out 2019 campaign, Stanley has not only been the Ravens’ best and most consistent offensive lineman through the first four games, but appears in Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro form.

“Ronnie Stanley deserves so much credit,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. “He’s really having a good year, and he’s got a lot of football left in him. I expect him to keep improving. I think he’s going to keep on the rise. His level of play has just been going like this (motioning upward incline), and it’s fun to see, both [in] run and pass. A lot of times, he was singled up out there in pass protection and just did a really good job… In the run game, [he made nice] reach blocks, down blocks, had some good cutoff blocks, screen blocks; he had a couple really good screen blocks that sprung some screens.”

Stanley isn’t just leading a young revamped Ravens offensive line as a shining example on the field with his consistent play, he also leads many of his contemporaries around the league at both left and right tackle in some impressive metrics. According to ESPN analytics expert Seth Walder, he ranks first in pass-block win rate and after another stellar performance in Week 4 in the team’s resounding 35-10 over the Buffalo Bills. His Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 88.3 ranks second among all offensive tackles in the league, trailing only Jordan Mailata of the Philadelphia Eagles and he has only allowed four pressures thus far with no sacks.

In a recent appearance on ‘The Lounge’ podcast, Stanley opened up about and discussed a myriad of topics including overcoming the mental aspect of his health struggles, suddenly becoming the elder statesman of his position group and why he feels like he is returning to playing his best right now.

“Part of it is obviously being able to play at 100 % health wise, being able to do the things I know I’m capable of and I think just this offseason, training camp, OTAs taking it upon myself to keep that standard for myself,” Stanley said.

Before the first injury setback of his career, Stanley had established himself as one of, if not the, best blindside protectors in the league and he has grown more as a run-blocker over the years to the point that many of the Ravens’ best gains on the ground this season have come to his side.

In the offseason, Stanley in the Ravens agreed to restructure his contract in a way that voided the final year of his deal making him a pending unrestricted free agent in 2025. As he continues to ascend and regain his former elite form and trajectory, the price to potentially retain him will only increase.

Other upper-echelon to elite left tackles who are often injured and struggle with durability such as Terron Armstead and Tyron Smith are currently playing on reasonably priced deals with average annual salaries of $12.8 million and $6.5 million, respectively. However, both players are 33 years old, whereas Stanley just turned 30 in March.

To avoid wandering into the ‘life without a franchise left tackle wilderness,’ which would put franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson at future risk, locking up the veteran leader of the offensive line to another extension before his price balloons must be high on Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta’s list of priorities.