OTL: Ravens Can’t Let Ronnie Stanley Leave

Finally, today’s the day. A best-on-best tournament final: the United States vs Canada… Oh wait, this is the wrong website. That’s embarrassing. I won’t go into too much detail about the Four Nations Faceoff Championship on here, but I will say this: I hope Brent Urban and Tavius Robinson have a good night.

Alright, let’s try that again: if you’re solely an NFL fan, this has to be a very boring time of year. I mean what juicy stories do we have to talk about? The salary cap going up more than expected? It’s a good thing for a team that spends near the cap every year like the Ravens, but still, I defer to some other folks at RSR for discussions about that particular topic.

The Front Office Podcast: Ravens 2025 Salary Cap Preview

So, what else is there? There’s not much to really go into until we get to the new league year in March. There’s just a few decisions to make on a few free agents, one of whom I think holds more importance than the rest: Ronnie Stanley.

I don’t think we as a fanbase will ever forgive T.J. Watt for what happened during that game in 2020. Pre-injury Ronnie Stanley was special, and he’s only gotten truly healthy again in recent seasons. But that’s my main point with all this. Stanley’s healthy. He started all 17 games in 2024 and performed at a high level. He’s the rock, an anchor that this team leans on.

Good left tackles don’t grow on trees. It would be a mistake to let him go. Just like it was a mistake to let Kevin Zeitler go. I think we can all agree that the guard spots were the weakest on the Ravens offensive line. Allowing Stanley to walk leaves Lamar Jackson especially vulnerable. Yet, Stanley’s prowess and position make him a very valuable target that doesn’t come available all that often.

And something tells me if the Ravens were able to get a deal done with him, it would’ve been signed already.

Board Buzz: What to do About Ronnie Stanley & OL?

I like Roger Rosengarten, a lot, but if he ends up being out of his depth at left tackle, much like how Alejandro Villanueva was when he filled in for Stanley, that’s a very bad look for a front office. If the Ravens let Stanley walk, and the left tackle play they receive is sub-par, that’s two offseasons in a row in which they would’ve have failed to sufficiently address the departure of a starting offensive lineman.

I care about the health and success of Lamar Jackson. Both of which rely on the health and performance of the left tackle position, particularly with the very talented pass rushers that all reside in the AFC North (although Myles Garrett’s departure from Cleveland would be nice).

I’m not sure how much gambling you can do with the left tackle position. I believe it would behoove all sides involved to get a deal done. You’ve stuck with Ronnie Stanley through the good and the bad. Stick with him for a little bit longer.

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