Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh expressed much optimism in Indianapolis last week about the Ravens re-signing longtime left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
Subsequent reporting has supported those sentiments with a suggested framework north of $20 million per season, which would be approaching top 5 left tackle money in terms of average annual value for someone turning 31 later this month and carrying an injury history that hindered both his availability and performance for significant portions of the last five years. But with the official start of the new league year less than a week away, the clock is ticking as other suitors circle the free-agent waters for the perceived top left tackle on the market — and someone who’s never been a free agent in his career.
That list reportedly includes Kansas City, who just agreed to trade All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to Chicago to save salary cap space. The Chiefs’ left tackle crisis was on full display in their Super Bowl LIX blowout loss to Philadelphia when Thuney — who had bumped out to left tackle as a last-resort option down the stretch — was overwhelmed by the Eagles’ talented defensive line. It’s also worth remembering Kansas City isn’t a stranger to targeting a Baltimore tackle to address such a weakness after acquiring Orlando Brown Jr. in a pre-draft trade four years ago.
The deal that included a first-round pick used on outside linebacker Odafe Oweh netted good value for the Ravens on paper, but the 2021 plan at left tackle blew up in DeCosta’s face that fall when Stanley’s ankle still wasn’t close to healthy and free-agent signing Alejandro Villanueva proved to be a poor replacement. Once again carrying Super Bowl aspirations into 2025, the Ravens must now weigh the question of how much is too much to re-sign Stanley against the risk of losing him and not having a viable contingency plan. Even if second-year tackle Roger Rosengarten is a legitimate option to move to the left side, the question would then become who would play right tackle with the only other tackle currently on the roster being 2024 practice-squad member Corey Bullock.
It’s a challenging call for a team picking 27th in next month’s draft, meaning finding a rookie tackle ready to be a Week 1 starter is easier said than done. On the other hand, the Ravens are just getting out from under what had originally been a five-year, $98.75 contract extension with Stanley that included a stretch when he missed 31 of 32 games from 2020-22. After taking a pay cut last offseason that voided the final year of his deal, the 2016 first-round pick out of Notre Dame deserves credit for playing every game for the first time in his career last season on his way to being named a Pro Bowl alternate, but was that enough for the Ravens to feel confident jumping into another lucrative commitment?
Is Baltimore comfortable paying Stanley like a top 5 left tackle again if that’s what the market ultimately dictates?
Despite the Ravens’ expressed optimism last week, it’s also worth noting Stanley has been a longtime player rep for the NFL Players Association, which isn’t in the business of encouraging players to take less money to stick with their current teams. In other words, if there’s enough smoke from other suitors with big dollars to spend, it has to be awfully tempting for Stanley to dip his toes into the open market.
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Of course, there are always exceptions, especially when talking about two sides with a nine-year working relationship.
“Ronnie and I did a deal the last time, so that’s great,” DeCosta said last week. “He and I have a great friendship. We’ve known each other for a long time. He has a great agent in Kim Miale. You never want to say 100%, but I feel good that we’ll have a good, healthy debate [and] a good process. We’ll meet with Kim in Indy this week. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to get a deal done.”
But the closer we get to the start of the “legal tampering” window on Monday, the more that optimism about striking a deal wanes.
