When the Ravens converted a portion of Ronnie Stanley’s 2022 salary into bonus, creating a cap savings of $6.35M in 2022, it was a necessary move but one that unfortunately comes with risks. If for some reason Stanley hasn’t fully recovered from his ankle injury and fails to perform to his level of pay, the burden on the Ravens cap should they opt to part ways with the enigmatic tackle, will weigh more heavily. But apparently the risk is one that Ravens GM Eric DeCosta thought was worth taking. Time will tell.
The Ravens converted $8.465M of LT Ronnie Stanley's base salary into a signing bonus, creating $6.34875M in 2022 cap space, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 31, 2022
On Wednesday, Stanley was a full participant at practice, something we haven’t seen for over a year. Most believe that to be a good sign and a potential indicator that he’ll dress on Sunday when the Ravens take on Von Miller and the Buffalo Bills. But with Stanley, who knows for sure? He might not even know for sure. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if Stanley opts to sit out again even if he’s a full practice participant all week. The thought of taking on edge rusher Miller and the weather elements on Sunday when he still might not be mentally prepared to play, could persuade Stanley to sit out one more week.
No one asked me but I think that’s exactly how it will play out. Stanley is not known to embrace the grind like former Ravens such as Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Marshal Yanda once did. Some players will play through injuries, like Patrick Mekari who regularly battles degenerative back issues. Some players, “Play Like a Raven”, something you won’t hear many say about Ronnie Stanley. But he is who he is and the Ravens knew what they were signing up for when they extended the talented protectorate of the blind side.
Brownless
When the Ravens decided to part way with the apparently disenchanted Marquise Brown, it opened up an opportunity for Devin Duvernay. I wouldn’t call it addition by subtraction because despite his shortcomings, Brown is a solid receiver who threatens a defense with his speed and quickness. But that said, Duvernay, while not the route runner of Brown’s ilk, possesses under-appreciated speed and his hands are far more dependable than those of the departed Brown.
Plus Brown’s exodus has forced Lamar Jackson to develop a rapport with other pass catchers like the very promising Rashod Bateman and rookie TE Isaiah Likely. When all is said and done, the net result is that the Ravens offense hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, as the result of the transition, the Ravens have shed a potentially problematic contract (Brown’s) and they’ve picked up a very instrumental and integral offensive component – Tyler Linderbaum, via the draft capital they acquired from Arizona.
Tyler Linderbaum through 3 weeks:
• 103 pass blocking snaps
• 0 sacks allowed
• 3 pressures allowedThe Ravens rookie center has been a force early 👀 pic.twitter.com/K5klCtGvwS
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) September 27, 2022
Can’t say enough good things about how well Linderbaum played. He battled all day. Maximized every ounce he has. pic.twitter.com/Pcb9leB8Az
— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) September 26, 2022
"It looked incredible." @Lj_era8 on @TLinderbaum's film: pic.twitter.com/CMMK5hdcnx
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 28, 2022
Up Hill
It’s no secret that the success of the Ravens offense, at least since Lamar’s arrival, has been predicated upon effectively running the football. But when the team lost J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to horrific ACL injuries prior to the start of the 2021 season, rushing attack just hasn’t been the same.
Recovery from these injuries takes time and it would be naïve to think that either of these injured RB’s can return to their pre-injury form – at least not in 2022. That’s why the Ravens opted to bring in Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake; that’s why they drafted Tyler Badie. It appeared as if the odd man out would be 2019 4th-round draft pick Justice Hill.
But to his credit, Hill has put in the work. He embraced the grind. His recovery from a 2021 season-ending Achilles injury has been nothing short of remarkable. It’s a story that not enough lights have been shined upon.
Despite the injury, Hill has shown a burst that we haven’t seen before. Plus, he’s a willing and competent blocker in pass pro. He’s earned more reps and he, more so than Davis or Drake, could help carry a bigger portion of the running game load as Dobbins rounds into shape.
Got that juice pic.twitter.com/rVn5niwlaX
— MC (@abukari) September 29, 2022
ODDS & ENDS
It has only been three games, but Marcus Williams possesses the look of a playmaker and clearly worthy of the 5-year, $70M deal that includes $37M guaranteed. He leads the NFL in interceptions and his diagnostic/reactionary skills at the position are arguably the best we’ve seen since, dare I say, Ed Reed…Michael Pierce through 2+ games was having himself a very productive campaign and I have to say that after loathing the signing initially, I can admit to being wrong and looked forward to the behemoth tandem of Pierce and Travis Jones playing side-by-side. But unfortunately, that’s not happening. Pierce injured his biceps and has opted for season-ending surgery instead of working through the injury with the training staff to finish out the season. Pierce is under contract through the 2024 campaign.
According to Aaron Wilson from Pro Football Network, the Ravens had interest in signing Cardinals LB Jesse Luketa (Arizona’s 7th-round selection, 256th overall) out of Penn State, to their 53-man roster. But the Cardinals promoted Luketa to their active roster before the Ravens could swoop in. The former Nittany Lion teammate of Odafe Oweh, is described by NFL.com as:
“[A] team-first leader who plays every snap like his hair is on fire. He won’t blink in the face of physical challenges, using his leverage and power to hold his ground or come out on top. He lacks instincts and pursuit speed and is best suited as a 4-3 Sam linebacker but his lone season as a 4-3 end could have 3-4 teams exploring his potential as a developmental outside linebacker.”
The interest in Luketa speaks volumes about the poor play of the Ravens LB group.
A week ago it was reported that the Ravens had interest in Blake Martinez, a recent castoff from the NY Giants’ roster. John Harbaugh even went so far to say that he hoped the Ravens would sign Martinez. But it hasn’t happened. Word is that Martinez isn’t the most popular guy in the locker room and his skill set has been compromised by injuries. He’s yet another early-down LB who represents a liability in coverage. Where’s L.J. Fort when you need him?
LASTLY
Kyle Hamilton was the town villain after the Ravens heartbreaking 42-38 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. The term “bust” was bantered about regularly on forums and on sports talk radio. Hamilton’s resolve was tested. In New England he came up with a clutch play, forcing a fumble that was adeptly covered by Marcus Peters.
Hamilton has loads of potential. His teammates know it. They also knew that it was up to the rookie to stare down adversity and overcome it. You can tell from the reaction of his teammates in the video clip below that they felt Kyle’s pain and celebrated with him, his escape from its grips. Enjoy the clip and your day everyone!
"That's 1-4."
Wired debuts now ➡️ https://t.co/YtY96LBgBS pic.twitter.com/BgyFf8Vwvn
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 29, 2022
2 Responses
The one character trait that can’t be measured is……heart! For all intents and purposes, Stanley doesn’t appear to possess it!
Ronnie Stanley: “Yeah, this could very possibly be the week. I’m very close and we’ll talk it over with the rest of the staff and coaches and what not and we’re going to make the best decision that’s best for the team.” Unvaguely vague.