Ravens Pro Bowler Endorses Next Up-And-Comer

Even though the Baltimore Ravens lost a 17-game starter in free agency when versatile veteran offensive lineman Partick Mekari signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, they still have a lot of continuity in the trenches on that side of the ball.

"I think having all the guys back is a big deal just to have that chemistry, but it's a new season, so I think we have to come in with that mindset," left tackle Ronnie Stanley said Monday. "We have to kind of build all that back up. It's not just going to kind of rollover."

The two-time Pro Bowler spent most of the offseason program, training camp and the first three games of the regular season with 2023 sixth-rounder Andrew Vorhees lined up next to him at left guard and is looking forward to hopefully doing it again in 2025. He expressed his confidence in him being able to not just emerge as a starter again but praised him for having all the physical tools and intangibles to have a successful career.

"I think he's going to have a great career," Stanley said. "I think he's a prototypical NFL guard, and I think he's going to battle with those big D-tackles second to none, so he'll be great. And he's a smart guy as well, very intelligent, athletic, [and I'm] very excited to work with him."

While he was a second-year pro, it was essentially his rookie season after spending all of his first year recovering from a torn ACL he suffered at the NFL Combine which caused him to fall down the bottom of the draft. He took the vast majority of the first-time reps throughout organized team activities, training camp and the preseason and earned the right to open the year as a starter.

Vorhees suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 put him out of commission for a couple of weeks and by the time he recovered from it, the coaching staff had decided to move forward with the configuration of Mekari moving over to left guard permanently. Prior to that, the six-year veteran was in a two-man rotation at right tackle with second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten.

"Replacing Pat [is] going to be tough, he's behind Tyler [Linderbaum], I think, well, I know he's the next most knowledgeable guy [of] understanding the entire offense, and I think Pat's one of the best examples of what a professional football player should be like," Stanley said. "I know Jacksonville – they got a great player in him, and he's going to be a great leader for them, and we're definitely going to miss him here. He has been a great player for us. He's played every single position. He's a unicorn. So, we're going to miss him."

While Vorhees wasn't given the opportunity to regain his starting spot back in 2024, he still performed well when his number was called in relief of Mekari. The most extensive action he received came in the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns when he got to play 67.1% of the Ravens' total offensive snaps. He performed well in pass protection and made some impressive blocks in the run game as the offense racked up 437 total yards, 220 of which were rushing.