Ravens' tackle Ronnie Stanley healthy and ready to protect Lamar Jackson
BALTIMORE - There are high expectations this season for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense.
The quarterback is surrounded by top-notch talent at the skill positions. But, up-front protection is critical to allow it all to work.
Ronnie Stanley, an eighth-year veteran offensive tackle, anchors that all-important offensive line.
For the first time in a long time, Stanley is not hampered by injury, which was the case for each of his last three seasons.
He's all systems go in training camp, which is a big step toward a big season.
"It takes off a lot of stress and makes everything a lot easier because the main thing you have to focus now on is the game," Stanley said. "That's hard enough as it is. I've been trying to focus on rehab and doing all these things outside of that, which is still part of it, but having that be a main priority definitely took away a lot of mental capacity."
Running back J.K. Dobbins remains on the sidelines for reasons not made clear by him or the team.
The indications are that Dobbins is making a statement about wanting a new contract.
Head Coach John Harbaugh says he's spoken with Dobbins and says the running back's continued absence could become a concern.