Ravens Have Surprising Best Offseason Decision

The Baltimore Ravens have made several moves this offseason that they're hoping can finally help them get over the hump on the playoffs. However, what was their best?

Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus believes it was the Ravens' re-signing of offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

"The Ravens are already on shaky ground at guard. The last thing they needed heading into the offseason was a vacancy at left tackle, too," Wasserman writes. "Fortunately, they negotiated a new contract with Ronnie Stanley to avoid that problem. Stanley is still a terrific blindside protector who earned an 80.9 PFF pass-blocking grade last season, ranking 16th among qualified offensive tackles."

Stanley, Baltimore's first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, has struggled to stay healthy over the past few years. But he was finally able to put together a fully healthy season in 2024, and the team paid him accordingly.

In March, the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $60 million contract. It is a bit of a gamble since Stanley's injury concerns aren't going anywhere at 31, but he seems as focused as ever to start stacking healthy seasons once again.

"I’ll never forget that feeling of everybody looking at me like: 'Damn, Ronnie, you got the bag and now you’re getting surgery, huh? Do you really need it? Can’t you just play through this?'" Stanley said. "The narrative was basically: This dude can’t fight through the pain. He doesn’t love the game like that. He just wants to get the money and run." 

Stanley's first major injury came in 2020, when he was carted off the field with an ankle injury during a Week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then returned for the 2021 season opener, but that would turn out to be the only game he played that season as suffered another severe ankle injury.

He tried to rehab the injury naturally for about six weeks, but eventually made the difficult decision to have his second surgery in as many years.

Luckily, Stanley's health seems to have finally turned a corner and Baltimore hopes that remains the case following his big payday.