The Baltimore Ravens should lock up Ronnie Stanley as soon as they can:
The Baltimore Ravens know what it is like to lose good offensive lineman but they don’t want to lose Ronnie Stanley. Ryan Jensen was arguably just adequate but when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he was the highest paid center. Kelechi Osemele had a time as the highest paid guard when the Oakland Raiders signed him away from Baltimore. Rick Wagner got right tackle money, though it was really good right tackle money.
The point here is that the offensive line is a place where the NFL executives are not afraid to spend their money. The offensive line is one of the most important position groups on a team because a bad offensive line can sink a season and get the quarterback hurt. The left tackle position is the premium position which makes Stanley set for a big pay day.
Bad offensive tackles are the most frustrating thing a team can have. The Ravens had an all-time great at the position in Jonathan Ogden. They also had players like Tony Pashos, Bryant McKinnie, Michael Oher, Eugene Monroe and James Hurst. While a couple of these players aren’t that bad, none of them held a candle to what Stanley is doing.
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The Ravens have seen serviceable players on the offensive line get overpaid elsewhere. Stanley could be the Ravens’ free agent who commands the biggest pay day. Stanley is a very good tackle. He’s not Ogden level good, yet players like Ogden only come around once in a lifetime. Stanley is quietly one of the best players on the team. He rarely gives the Ravens something to worry about and at his position that is a great compliment.
If you look around the NFL there have to be handfuls of teams that would prefer Stanley to their current left tackle. Teams that need offensive line help will look at Stanley as a possible solution. Because the franchise tag for an offensive lineman is so high, Stanley has a good chance of seeing the open market.
Eric DeCosta shouldn’t wait around. He should be working on a deal with Stanley now. The best case scenario for Baltimore is Stanley agreeing to a deal with the Ravens by the middle of the 2019 season. That’s the way the Ravens can get the best deal to secure Stanley.
The Ravens could find a better tackle than Stanley however it isn’t a likely scenario. Left tackles of Stanley’s quality either come with a top 10 pick or a huge contract and there is almost nothing in between. Losing Stanley in the next offseason would be a step back for a team that has quite a lot of exciting things brewing for the future.