The Ravens enter the offseason without a lot of players coming off major injuries, but with some big names on the short list.
Head Coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that he did not have an exact timeline on the return of left tackle Ronnie Stanley, tight end Nick Boyle and cornerback Tavon Young, but said his understanding is that they will all be back in time for next season.
"I think training camp – but I'm going to say that loosely – at the latest," Harbaugh said. "I'm sure some guys will be back in the OTAs too, before that. But my understanding is those guys should be in good shape, across the board."
Stanley suffered his season-ending ankle injury on Nov. 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last week, he tweeted that he's walking on his own again.
Orlando Brown Jr.'s ability to swing from right tackle to left and still play at a Pro Bowl level helped overcome the loss of Stanley, but there's no doubt that his return would make a huge difference for Baltimore's offensive line. Stanley is arguably the best left tackle in the game, and he and Brown make an elite tackle duo.
The Ravens offense also overcame the loss of another key blocker in Boyle, who often spearheads Baltimore's rushing attack. Boyle is like an extra lineman, and his combo blocks with fullback Patrick Ricard are tough to stop. Boyle went down two weeks after Stanley, on Nov. 15 in New England.
Harbaugh said Boyle and Stanley's injuries were "pretty serious" and they will take the most time to recover, but should be back in time for the start of next season.
Young suffered a knee injury on Sept. 20 in Houston, ending his season early for the third time in his career. One of the NFL's best slot cornerbacks when healthy, Young is "moving around pretty good right now" and should be back in time for OTAs, Harbaugh said.
His return would bolster an already strong secondary that returns Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith and Anthony Averett.
"I can't wait to be on the field again with Tavon Young," Humphrey said after the season ended. "I'm really excited about that. I know he'll come off the injury nice and strong."
