The Ravens might need to make the first bold move of the season to add depth at left tackle.
Ja’Wuan James, who was subbing for the injured Ronnie Stanley suffered an Achilles injury for the second straight year in the regular-season opener against the New York Jets. James went down in the second quarter and the Ravens were forced to move the versatile Pat Mekari to left tackle and he played well.
“James has a torn Achilles; it’s the same one,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s a little bit of a different tear; it’s off the bone. It’s not the one that is mid-tendon. So, he’s determined, and he says he’s in a way better place than he was last time, and he’s determined to come back in time. ”
The Ravens need Stanley to get back in the lineup. He’s a former All-Pro that is one of the best tackles in the NFL when he’s healthy.
Is it coaching? Is it poor execution? Bad scheme? Whatever your conclusion, the @TudorGames Electric Football Game looks alive and unwell in B'more. pic.twitter.com/DQn7ImYOKB
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) September 13, 2022
However, the Ravens don’t have any depth behind Stanley and Patrick Meklari on the roster and they might be forced to thrust rookie Daniel Faalele into that role if there is an emergency.
Stanley is still dealing with the effects of an ankle injury he suffered in 2020.
Last year, Stanley worked his way back into the starting lineup too quickly. He played in the Week 1 opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and re-aggravated the ankle injury he sustained in 2020. Stanley was later shut down for the season and the Ravens were hampered both physically and financially by his absence.
Stanley was back at practice last week but there doesn’t appear to be any set timeline for his return. The Ravens will give him more time if needed because they’re focused on having him healthy in November and December when they should be focused on fighting for a playoff spot.
Mekari can ably hold down the spot at left tackle until Stanley can get back in the lineup. However, Mekari has also dealt with some injuries over his career and tackle is a physical position.
As a result, GM Eric DeCosta might need to sign a free agent, but the market is thin because almost every team needs tackles. A trade would be costly but possibly necessary depending on Stanley’s status.
“I think that’s something that’s in conversation right now,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll just kind of see where we’re at with all the moving parts there. There are a lot of moving parts that go with that. Where we’re at with our team, what’s out there, those kinds of things. So, we’ll continue to talk about those things.”
The Ravens have created more salary-cap space by renegotiating a couple of contracts of players on the current roster this offseason, so there is money available for these types of moves.
In addition, the Ravens lost Kyle Fuller to a season-ending knee injury. The MRI came back and it showed it was a torn ACL.
That’s another crucial loss that will hurt the team’s depth until Marcus Peters can get back in the lineup.
“He was playing good football too,” Harbaugh said about Fuller. “He’ll tell you, he really loves it here; his mom is here. He just liked everything about what we were doing, and he fit in so well and was playing good ball in the game, really all camp. [He’s] such a serious guy, so determined. He’ll come back stronger than ever. [It’s] one of those things, just a crazy circumstance on their AstroTurf.”
