The Baltimore Ravens are just days away from the start of free agency, and there’s a good chance that the team will need to make some changes in the trenches.
Two starters, Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari, are hitting free agency this offseason, and the Ravens have made it their priority to sign the former over the latter.
The Athletic insider Jeff Zrebiec predicts that would mean the exit of Mekari in Baltimore.
“It would be quite a story if the former undrafted free agent, who has started 53 games and played every position up front, gets a third contract. The Ravens, though, are prioritizing re-signing Stanley. If he returns, they’ll probably let Mekari walk,” Zrebiec writes.
“The Ravens don’t have an internal replacement for Stanley, while Andrew Vorhees is a candidate to step in at left guard for Mekari. Mekari deserves starting guard money on the open market, and that would be tough for the Ravens to match after a Stanley deal. They’d miss Mekari’s versatility and toughness,” he continued.
The Ravens have players on the roster that could fill in for Mekari, and they can also use one or multiple of their 11 draft picks to take care of that hole.
The Ravens are optimistic that Stanley and the team will reach a new deal, but if that doesn’t come into fruition for some reason, Mekari could be Plan B for Baltimore.
The Ravens should try their hardest to get the Stanley deal done in case it means that Mekari could soon be off the market. Baltimore has the depth to be able to withstand losing one, but not having both would be a massive loss for the Ravens, so they need to do everything in their power to try and figure this situation out as soon as possible.