Ronnie Stanley‘s inability to stay on the field consistently put him in danger of cap-casualty status, but the Ravens have reached a resolution to retain their longtime left tackle.
Previously set to earn an $11MM base salary and count more than $26MM against Baltimore’s cap, Stanley has agreed to reduce his base number for the 2024 season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. The Ravens will give Stanley a chance to earn that money back and more, presumably via incentives, on this reworking.
A central part of the Ravens’ high-powered offense when healthy, Stanley has seen his career path mirror David Bakhtiari‘s to a degree. Both All-Pros suffered major injuries shortly after agreeing to extensions in 2020. Stanley has been able to stay on the field more than the since-released Packers standout, but the 2016 first-round pick has battled injury issues throughout the 2020s. Since the 2020 setback, the Notre Dame alum has missed 35 games.
The Ravens gave Stanley a top-market extension following his 2019 first-team All-Pro campaign. The team has gone to the restructure well with its eight-year tackle, leading to a $26.2MM 2024 cap hit — behind only Lamar Jackson on the Ravens’ 2024 payroll. Stanley collecting $64.1MM fully guaranteed (on a five-year, $98.75MM deal) when he did proved pivotal, as the ankle injury he suffered in October 2020 has introduced additional setbacks down the line.
Stanley underwent three ankle surgeries from 2020-21, with the two ’21 operations leading to 16 missed games that year. Last season, Stanley missed time due to a knee injury. Pro Football Focus ranked the soon-to-be 30-year-old blocker just inside the top 40 at tackle last year. In 2022, ESPN’s run block win rate metric slotted Stanley seventh.
Stanley, Tyler Linderbaum and Morgan Moses are contracted for the 2024 season on the Ravens’ O-line, but once again, the team will need to replace a departed guard. John Simpson is heading to the Jets, while Kevin Zeitler is unsigned. The Ravens are interested in re-signing the 12-year veteran, and a new Zeitler deal will now be assured to address a still-Stanley-led O-line.