Ronnie Stanley’s resurgence key to Ravens’ NFL-leading ground attack: ‘Ron’s done it all’
By Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun,
11 hours ago
Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley during an OTAs open practice session on Thursday at the Under Armour Performance Center. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS
Fifteen minutes after Thursday’s two-hour practice in Owings Mills, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley and rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten, were still at it, drenched in the sweat and stains of another day’s labor and engaged with one another, hands on shoulder pads, pushing and pulling.
Rosengarten, fresh off his first start in Baltimore’s dominating 35-10 win Sunday over the Buffalo Bills, was looking to glean some insight on balance and hand placement from the ninth-year veteran and one-time All-Pro.
“Ron’s done it all,” Rosengarten told The Sun. “He’s been at the highest level for a really long time, so every piece of information I can get from him, I’ll take it.”
Through the first month of the season, the Ravens’ young offensive line with three new starters has taken it, too. The criticism has at times been fierce, particularly after losing to the Chiefs in Kansas City in the season opener and following a mistake-filled defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. From a string of mind-numbing penalties to lackluster performances, their struggles permeated through the team’s.
But over the past two weeks, the group has seemed to find its footing. It started with a 28-25 road win over the Dallas Cowboys in which the Ravens gashed them for 274 rushing yards, including 151 from running back Derrick Henry. Against the Bills, another 271, including 199 from Henry, who ripped off an 87-yard touchdown run on Baltimore’s first offensive play to set the tone.
While it has been a group effort, no one has perhaps stood out more than Stanley, both in his play and his leadership.
“Ronnie Stanley deserves so much credit,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said earlier this week. “He’s really having a good year, and he’s got a lot of football left in him. I expect him to keep improving. I think he’s going to keep on the rise.
“A lot of times, he was singled up out there in pass protection and just did a really good job. In the run game, reach blocks, down blocks, had some good cutoff blocks, screen blocks; he had a couple really good screen blocks that sprung some screens. So, yes, it was good.”
And much improved from last season.
Last year, Stanley missed four games because of a knee injury, including both against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals, who the Ravens play Sunday at Paycor Stadium. But even when he was on the field, he didn’t perform to the level he expected, which is why the Ravens went so far as to rotate him down the stretch of the regular season.
In June, Stanley acknowledged that his play last season was “killing him.”
It was hurting the Ravens, too, which is why in March they restructured the five-year, $98.75 million contract he’d signed in 2020. Doing so cleared salary cap space but also sent a message after Stanley missed 36 games during that span because of injuries.
And that message apparently sunk in.
“I thought it was very motivating to get back to what I expect myself to be,” Stanley said Thursday. “The performance I had in the past were always something that gave me something to work harder and make sure I never go back to that place I was.”
Instead, he’s returned to the form that made him one of the best at his position.
Stanley ranks first in pass-block win rate, according to ESPN analytics, and his PFF grade of 88.3 ranks second among all offensive tackles in the league, trailing only Jordan Mailata of the Philadelphia Eagles. In all, he has allowed just four pressures and no sacks and his 3.2% pressure rate allowed ranks sixth in the NFL going into Week 5.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the offense has flourished alongside him.
The Ravens lead the NFL yards per game (429.5), rushing yards (881) and Henry leads all rushers with 480 yards and a career-high of 6 yards per carry. He is also fourth in yards before first contact (3.84), while Baltimore ranks fifth in points per game (26.5).
And perhaps no single play has crystallized the unit’s improvement more than Henry’s 87-yard touchdown for what was the longest run in franchise history.
“I don’t think it’s any magic pill,” Stanley said. “I just think it’s hard work. It’s just a cumulation of consistency and guys coming in every day and working hard. When you do that, a lot is going to get better.”
That includes Stanley, who has been a constant presence at practice since the voluntary workouts in the summer and into the first month of the season.
He’s also fitter and healthier and been a leader among the group — if not by voice, then by example.
“Ronnie just kind of goes about his business,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “He’s more cerebral than he is vocal. [He] just really understands what we’re trying to do, [and] what he’s trying to do, and what he’s trying to accomplish.
“So, those things he really gets it.”
So, too, it seems do the Ravens, who four games into the season seem to have found their offensive identity and have succeeded because of their offensive line rather than in spite of it.
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