Ravens: Ronnie Stanley earns spot on PFF’s top-50 player list

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best offensive linemen in football in left tackle Ronnie Stanley. And such a notion was no more evident than when he was lost for the season in November of last year.

Stanley’s absence was felt and the entire offense suffered as a result. It’s safe to say that he’s worth every penny of the massive five-year, $98.75 million extension he signed with the team last October.

Pro Football Focus has slowly begun to reveal their list of the top-50 players in the NFL. Stanley is the first Ravens player to be featured on the list coming in at a healthy 46th overall.

As one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, his placement in the top-50 is well-deserved. And the folks over at PFF made sure to sing his praises.

The Ravens have arguably the best left tackle in football in Ronnie Stanley.

Stanley was praised for his impressive pass blocking and his unmatched consistency.

"“Stanley may be the best pass-protector in the entire NFL at any position. He has back-to-back PFF pass-blocking grades of at least 90.0 (albeit in an injury-shortened year in 2020). He has surrendered just 16 total pressures across his last 719 pass-blocking snaps, allowing his quarterback to be hit or sacked just three times in that period.”"

The sixth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Stanley emerged as one of the best players at his position following a standout 2019 season that saw him named first-team All-Pro.

Stanley looked to pick up where he left off in 2020, but a devastating ankle injury sidelined him after just six games. He would miss the rest of the season.

The Ravens saw firsthand just how important Stanley was to their offense with the offensive line struggling down the stretch — due in no small part to the absence of their star left tackle.

The hope is that Stanley could return to full health in 2021 and once again anchor Baltimore’s offensive line. An offensive line that will hopefully be significantly better than the unit the team trotted out a year ago.

Stanley’s return will be a major reason for that.

The 27-year-old was held out of spring workouts after undergoing two surgeries to repair his ankle this offseason. That said, the team does expect him to be back by training camp, per head coach John Harbaugh.

As one of the best and most valuable members of the Ravens roster, Ronnie Stanley certainly deserved a spot in PFF’s top-50 player list.

In fact, you could argue that he deserved to be ranked even higher.