7 NFL players who will sign the next massive contract extensions

2. Ronnie Stanley, OT, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson obviously deserves a ton of credit for the upswing of the Baltimore Ravens offense in the 2019 season. Having a quarterback capable of the dynamic playmaking that the reigning MVP can create with both his arm and legs changes the face of an offense. However, it’s hard to think that he and the Ravens would have that success without Ronnie Stanley at left tackle.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Stanley has been a good NFL left tackle from the moment that he stepped onto the field in Baltimore. More importantly, he’s gotten better every season that he’s been in the league as well. But there’s no question that he became fully realized as one of the best players at the position in the 2019 campaign.

Helping lead the way for Baltimore to have the league’s best offense, Stanley was the second-best offensive tackle in the NFL in 2019 according to PFF (subscription required) grades. He was the top-graded pass-blocker in the lead and also fell into the top 10 among qualifying tackles in terms of his run-blocking grade as well.

Under general manager Eric DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome before him, the Ravens have been exceptionally adept at maneuvering the cap. As they have deals looming for Humphrey, Stanley and, yes, Jackson, they’ll need to continue that trend. Make no mistake, though, the left tackle deserves to be in their long-term plans as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.