Ronnie Stanley, LT
The marriage between the Baltimore Ravens and Orlando Brown Jr. never had to turn sour. The only problem was that there was a third party that kept Brown from becoming a long-standing legend with the same franchise that his father also manned the front line for so long with such excellence. Instead of following in dad’s footsteps, Ronnie Stanley was already the subject of the Ravens’ affections. Given the costs, and Browns’ positional demands to play the left side, there was no way forward for both parties.
We all know how that turned out. In fact, it’s a major storyline heading into the weekend—Brown facing his former employers—as the Chiefs now appreciate the presence of Brown on the left side themselves.
But it turns out that the Ravens are still waiting for their own left tackle to return to form. Stanley went down with a season-ending ankle injury last season that required surgery and significant rehab. Stanley struggled in Week 1 and the Ravens kept him out of practice on Wednesday in order to help accelerate that process (and not aggravate anything in the meantime). However, a new report has surfaced saying the Ravens are now backing him off even further.
The Ravens are preparing to be without All Pro LT Ronnie Stanley this week and possibly far longer ad he undergoes more medical testing. Villanueva slides back to LT, his natural spot, with Patrick Makari next up to RT. OL was already under fire before this setback
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 16, 2021
The truth is that the Ravens had a hard time keeping Lamar Jackson upright or unhurried all night against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, and Chris Jones must be licking his chops at the thought of Alejandro Villanueva as the best offensive tackle in play. Frank Clark also returns at the right time himself.