5 Things That Could Go Wrong For The 2016 Baltimore Ravens

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Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Ronnie Staley (Notre Dame) is selected by the Baltimore Ravens as the number six overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

What If Ronnie Stanley Disappoints

I know that I am supposed to be gushing over the Ravens first round draft pick, but Stanley is an unknown commodity in the NFL. Stanley is supposed to be the next great left tackle but we don’t know if he will ever be the next great left tackle. Even if he does become a dominant Ravens player, will it happen in his rookie season? More than likely there will be growing pains as he adapts to the speed of the NFL.

This is not being negative. I am just accounting for the fact that Stanley is a rookie. The Ravens made a gamble here. No matter what you think about Stanley that’s what the Ravens did. When they let go of Eugene Monroe, the Ravens put Stanley in line to be the left tackle. John Harbaugh told the media that “the football circumstances had changed,” and that’s the only reason Monroe was released. That’s code for, Stanley’s got this and we don’t need the injury prone headache that Monroe is anymore.

Going into the 2016 season the Ravens better hope that Stanley can hold his weight on Joe Flacco’s blind side. I would not put Alex Lewis at left tackle. Rick Wagner at left tackle would be worrisome. Maybe Vald Ducasse would be fine, but the key word is maybe. As of right now Stanley is the key to making everything go right for the Ravens offensive line. We’ll see what happens, one way or another.

Next: Joe Flacco Struggles

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