Ronnie Stanley Details His Difficult Journey

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is the Ravens' longest tenured player, but a couple of years ago his future in the league was in question.

In a Players’ Tribune story titled “Powering Through," Stanley wrote about his journey to this point, fighting through major injuries, and what he learned through it all.

Here are three excerpts from Stanley's story:

On opting to get a second ankle surgery and virtually missing two consecutive seasons after signing his contract extension:

"I'll never forget that feeling of everybody looking at me like: 'Damn, Ronnie, you got the bag and now you're getting surgery, huh? Do you really need it? Can't you just play through this?' The narrative was basically: This dude can't fight through the pain. He doesn't love the game like that. He just wants to get the money and run.

"But I got the surgery, and when it was over the doctors let me know … my deltoid was indeed completely torn. I wouldn't have been able to play with that injury no matter what I tried to do. There was no amount of toughness that was going to change that and allow me to play effectively, no matter how tough I was. It had nothing to do with not being able to 'fight through the pain.'"

On Lamar Jackson always being there for him:

"Outside of the house, I relied a lot on my family, who always had my back, first and foremost. And one teammate I can talk about always having my back is Lamar Jackson.

"There were other guys who had my back, too. But 8 always had my back. I've never met a more authentic person in the NFL. He's the face of the franchise and has all the pressure in the world on his shoulders. He's got every incentive to just be a Company Man, and instead he comes in every day like his genuine self. Not trying to fit any mold, an elite competitor with that childlike joy for the game. I love it."

On playing with doubt after the injuries:

"I was playing the game with the anxiety of getting the right results, and without any joy in the process of getting those results. I was playing out of fear of not messing up, not with the love that comes from attempting to be great.

"Back before those injuries, I was coming off a season where I felt I was one of the top players at my position, and yet every time I laced up my cleats after that, all I was thinking about was the mistakes I might make. I was tight, hesitant, second-guessing myself. And if there's one thing I've learned in my 20-plus years of playing football, it's that you can't play in fear. You'll play at half the speed and with twice the amount of thoughts. The best way to play is with a belief and confidence in yourself and what you're doing, wanting it to feel subconscious. Or, as Bob Rotella puts it in his book How Champions Think … a line that's really stuck with me over the years: 'Get out of your own way.'"

Ravens Get Strong Offseason Grade

The Ravens didn't make many splashes in free agency this offseason as their big move was resigning Stanley.

But Baltimore filled holes by bringing in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, backup quarterback Cooper Rush and others. Baltimore also had a strong draft, getting safety Malaki Starks No. 27 overall and nabbing outside linebacker Mike Green in Round 2.

Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema and Dalton Wasserman graded every team's offseason, and the Ravens earned an A-.

"I think bringing back Ronnie Stanley was the most important thing for this team in free agency, and they did that," Sikkema said. "... I'm going to give them a job well done because they were able to do that, they don't lose the player on the offensive line that was very pivotal to them in a winning window.

"I think a big chunk of that for me is they did have a really good draft where they got a lot of value," Wasserman added. "... It's another good offseason for the Ravens I think considering the limited resources they had to use, especially with the salary cap."

Jeff Zrebiec: Jadeveon Clowney Pursuit Could Show How Ravens View Young Rushers

The Ravens have been linked to pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney since he was released by the Panthers last week.

Clowney had a career-high 9.5 sacks for Baltimore in 2023 and could add another talented and proven veteran to the mix. However, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec said the Ravens pursuing Clowney could be telling of how they view young outside linebackers such as David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Tavius Robinson and Green.

"The Ravens are a draft-and-develop team, and they typically lean toward rewarding their own with opportunities before going outside for help," Zrebiec wrote. "In other words, how they approach Clowney's availability will tell us more about their evaluations of their own young edge rushers than it will about their feelings about Clowney."

The Ravens finished second in the NFL with 58 sacks last season, led by Kyle Van Noy (12.5) and Odafe Oweh (10). Baltimore is always looking to add difference makers on the defensive front, but the Ravens have a young crop of promising pass rushers on their roster as well.

Pundit Identifies Final Offseason Move for Ravens

The Ravens have one of the NFL's best rosters, but General Manager Eric DeCosta doesn't stop building the team after the draft.

Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron named one remaining move for every AFC team, and he had the Ravens adding a run-stuffing depth option in the middle.

"Michael Pierce's retirement leaves Baltimore's defense without its most consistent run defender," Cameron wrote. "The Ravens added some young depth in Aeneas Peebles in the 2025 NFL Draft, but another veteran in the ranks would be an asset.

"Maurice Hurst and DeMarcus Walker are two names to target. Hurst has been hampered by injuries but isn't far removed from a career-best 84.6 PFF overall grade in 2023, while Walker has the durability but a middling grading profile (65.5 PFF grade in 2024)."

Following the draft, DeCosta mentioned the need for a big-bodied tackle, saying "that's something that we'll assess and address."

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