The Baltimore Ravens have been missing the presence of All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley throughout the majority of the 2021 season. The veteran lineman suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the middle of 2020, and had been rehabbing throughout the entire offseason after undergoing season-ending surgery.
Stanley returned to action in 2021, but was only able to play in Baltimore’s opening-week loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. During the contest Stanley didn’t look like himself at all, as he was constantly beat off of the edge.
After being held out for the last five weeks, the Ravens announced that they placed Stanley on injured reserve, with Stanley releasing a statement alongside the news.
We have placed LT Ronnie Stanley on injured reserve.
Statement from @megatronnie. https://t.co/NjJmbtGn6P pic.twitter.com/NcqfEESLWi
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 19, 2021
The most important thing is that Stanley is able to get fully healthy. His devastating injury is very difficult to come back from, so it’s understandable that he needs quite a bit more time to recover. It’s a disappointing end to the year for a player who clearly wants to be out on the field with his teammates, and is a big blow to the Baltimore offensive line overall. However, the Ravens have shown that they’re extremely resilient, and they feel confident in offensive linemen Alejandro Villanueva and Patrick Mekari to continue to fill in for Stanley.