There are a few questions we need to ask in the aftermath of the Ravens signing Ronnie Stanley to a new three-year, $60 million deal.
Like for example, if we’re doing good news right now, why couldn’t any of it spread to the Orioles?
Ultimately, this decision was about as close to a no-brainer as possible. While we considered alternative ways this could play out at times, this was the only appropriate choice in the end. Perhaps the Ravens drafted Roger Rosengarten last year with at least a thought in their mind that he could be a future left tackle should they need to move on from Stanley, but moving on from Stanley was never the most desirable choice.
Perhaps it could have become the necessary choice had Stanley’s 2024 season gone another way. Had his ankle issues re-emerged and he had again missed serious time, the Ravens almost certainly wouldn’t have chosen to pay him $44 million guaranteed. We of course know that didn’t happen. Stanley didn’t miss any time, performed at a Pro Bowl level and the Ravens were better for it.
Given the dearth of outstanding players available in free agency and the number of teams that need offensive tackles, Stanley was set to be in high demand. Given the Ravens’ apparent interest in “running it back” in 2025, finding a way to get a deal done became the only legitimate choice. The decision to turn over three of their five O-line starters after 2023 was bold. It ultimately came together fairly well, but the growing pains were real and impacted the team early in the season.
One particular thought that gained traction was the idea that if the Ravens had drafted Rosengarten with left tackle in mind, they remain committed to the plan despite Stanley’s strong season. That sounds like potentially smart business, but it never truly made sense. Rosengarten proved to be a more than capable right tackle. The Ravens would have needed to be in the tackle market in this scenario anyway, either (likely) overpaying for a free agent or being in a more desperate situation going into the NFL Draft.
Inevitably, someone will say “they’ll regret this if Stanley gets hurt again.” And yes, that’s probably true. But this is football. That works into the equation for almost every player. The perception that Stanley is perpetually hurt is based in large part on the 2020 and 2021 seasons when he played seven combined games. In the three seasons since, Stanley has played 41 of 51 games. If Stanley were to play 13 to 14 games (and the playoffs obviously) over the next three seasons, this contract will hold up well. But risk is always part of the equation.
So now what?
The Ravens were never likely to be significant players in the early stages of free agency. You’re sarcastically thinking “they never are,” but the likes of Derrick Henry and Marcus Williams in recent years would suggest otherwise. And players who don’t alter compensatory pick strategy because they were released are always in play for the Ravens. All that said, the Stanley contract probably clinches a far quieter start to free agency. Patrick Mekari was almost certainly always going to be gone, and this ends any practical chance of his return. Brandon Stephens was never coming back.
Patrick Ricard is the most intriguing name left. The Ravens appear to be playing the “find out what might be on the market and we’ll go from there” game with their fullback. The arithmetic would be that with so few teams using fullbacks, Ricard’s options would be limited. That seems like a smart bet to make. Still, it’s a weak free agent class. Teams have money to spend. Ricard is a good football player. It is possible he becomes someone’s priority.
The secondary is likely the biggest area of need. They could use a high-end EDGE, but that would probably have to come from the draft. While there are internal options for replacing Mekari (Andrew Vorhees likely defaults back into the spot for now), interior O-line depth is necessary with Ben Cleveland also presumably being off the table. As we saw when Zay Flowers went down late in the season, they could still use more wide receiver depth. And yeah, there’s the kicker thing.
But as far as actual transactions go, so far so good for the Ravens’ offseason.
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