Can Baltimore Ravens get a full season out of Ronnie Stanley?
One of the biggest questions of the Baltimore Ravens 2023 season will be if one of their highest-paid players can stay healthy after years of injuries. While that could apply to Lamar Jackson, this is just as big of a question for his blind side, left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
Can Baltimore Ravens get a full season out of Ronnie Stanley?
As the Baltimore Ravens stand this season Stanley has the biggest cap hit on the team, higher than Lamar Jackson. So, while the success of the Ravens may rely on the health of Lamar Jackson, the health of Lamar Jackson relies pretty heavily on the success of Ronnie Stanley. He can be that big of a difference.
It is not surprising that the last time Ronnie Stanley played an entire season, the Ravens had the one seed, and Lamar Jackson won the MVP. In 2020, it was a shoulder that put him out for the year. In 2021, it was an ankle.
That ankle injury bled into the 2022 season. First, he did not have an off-season because he was rehabbing. He was not even ready for week one and had to be eased into the season.
The good news is that it appears the worst is over, and Stanley finished the season healthy and playing his best, something the team cannot say has happened since 2019. Stanley will only be 30 this year, so while it feels like it has been forever since we have seen him at his best, he also could still hit a ceiling that is even higher than what we have seen.
Two straight years with serious injuries is obviously not fun, but it is not the same reoccurring injury, it was two separate injuries, so it may be premature to think he is injury prone, or also that there is one area that will be his downfall.
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If the Baltimore Ravens can get Ronnie Stanley fully healthy and playing his best it may end up getting the best from the Baltimore Ravens. It is concerning that it has been a while since we have seen him for a full season, but he is healthy now, and working on improving this offseason. As we stand, there could be a bit of optimism from what we could see.