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The back half of the Baltimore Beatdown crews midseason superlatives.
Comeback Player of the Year
Ronnie Stanley — Many were hopeful Stanley could return to 80-percent of his former self after missing nearly two seasons with injury. That’s all in the past as Stanley is the No. 1 pass blocking offensive tackle according to PFF. He’s outright dominating. His worst graded game was against Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and he scored a 77.6 pass block grade and a season-high 70.1 in run blocking.
Stanley’s playing at a 2019 level. He’s not ‘nearly’ the same player. He is the same player. It’s almost unprecedented. — Kyle Barber
Ronnie Stanley — No one knew what to expect when Ronnie returned from a multi-season, possibly career threatening, ankle injury. Stanley has exceeded all expectations by regaining his elite pass blocking immediately. Fortunately, the left tackle should be able to return value on his cornerstone contract this season and beyond. — Vasilis Lericos
Ronnie Stanley — Undoubtedly, Stanley’s impact has been tremendous. The adversity he fought through, the criticisms and expectations have been completely silenced as Stanley has looked every part of the All-Pro he was prior to injury. He thwarted Myles Garrett and has generally exceeded expectations. — Spencer Schultz
Ronnie Stanley — Stanley’s return to All-Pro status play is phenomenal. I, for one, was never sure he would ever get back to that level of play and certainly not this quickly. After nine weeks, he’s now PFF’s highest-graded passing-blocking tackle in the NFL. In 120 pass-blocking snaps, he’s allowed only two pressures, both of which are hurries, going against the likes of Trey Hendrickson, Myles Garret, Myles Davenport, and more. Simply put, Ronnie Stanley is back to being the Guru and somehow picked up where he left off before his injury when he got paid as a franchise left tackle. — Zach Canter
Ronnie Stanley — The Ravens have an overwhelming plethora of players who qualify for this award after last season’s plague of injuries, but no one comes close to snatching the honors from left tackle Ronnie Stanley. I, along with many others, wondered if the former All-Pro would ever play again after multiple surgeries on his ankle in the past two years. Not only has Stanley returned to field, but he has seemingly picked up right where he left off before going down in the 2020. Stanley is playing like one of the league’s elite blindside protectors again, which is something that I never could have imagined would happen so quickly in his return. — Dustin Cox
Ronnie Stanley — Maybe the biggest development of the Ravens season has been Stanley’s return to elite form. Stanley has rounded the team’s offensive line into a top-ranked group. Given there was some doubt he may ever return at all, let alone as a high-level player, Stanley’s performance has been huge. He’s once again one of the best left tackles in the NFL. The Ravens had a lot of players returning from injury this season but Stanley is easily the most worthy of comeback player of the year. — Frank Platko
Rookie of the Year
Tyler Linderbaum — Though we’ve seen safety Kyle Hamilton’s trajectory sky-rocket in recent weeks, right now it’s Linderbaum.
It hasn’t been easy for Linderbaum, as he’s sparred against the likes of Quinnen Williams, Leonard Williams and Vita Vea, but his consistency in run blocking and his dominance over non-star defensive tackles is admirable.
Through development and sound play, it’s fair to assume Linderbaum will be snapping to Jackson for the next decade. — Kyle Barber
Tyler Linderbaum — The rookie has graded slightly above the league average at the position. His snaps have been mostly consistent and he has been a plus in the run game, regardless of some struggles anchoring against powerful defensive lineman. — Vasilis Lericos
Tyler Linderbaum — Lindy has taken the reigns at a position the Ravens have had turmoil in for a decade. His prowess in the run game and a fleet of foot linebacker eater is just plain fun to watch. Despite missing camp and being overwhelmed by Quinnen Williams week one, adversity has never snowballed for the young rookie. He’s a menace in the run game and has been able to recover with a short memory whenever he’s been beaten. — Spencer Schultz
Tyler Linderbaum — No other rookie on the Ravens roster has played as well or consistently as the rookie center Linderbaum. Despite missing a good portion of training camp, Linderbaum has had an absolutely fantastic start to his career. Even against Quinnen Williams, who playing at an All-Pro level this year, where people say Linderbaum looked rough, it’s one of only two games Williams has without a single sack. Linderbaum’s been moving bodies in the run game and keeping Lamar clean about as well as you can ask for a rookie center. — Zach Canter
Tyler Linderbaum —It’s possible that this award could go to fellow first-rounder Kyle Hamilton at the end of the season as his role and impact trends upwards, but as for now I have to give the honors to Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum has been everything Baltimore could have realistically expected in Year 1. The rookie center has displayed the insane upside he brings in the run game and should continue to grow and improve as a pass blocker going forward. The Ravens appear to have finally stopped the near decade-long game of musical chairs at the position with Linderbaum. — Dustin Cox
Tyler Linderbaum — Linderbaum has vindicated the Ravens’ decision to use a first-round pick on him thus far. There’s been some bumps in the road at times, which is to be expected with any rookie offensive lineman. However, Linderbaum’s a big reason why the Ravens’ offensive line ranks among the best in the NFL in both pass protection and run blocking. He’s flashed moments of dominant play and has been the team’s most consistent and impactful rookie overall. — Frank Platko
Unsung Hero
Ben Powers — Entering the season, the left guard role was the most ‘up-for-grabs’ starting role on the Ravens’ roster. Powers seized hold of the spot and has been a net positive all season long, and was so before being paired with Stanley. He’s been a quiet work-horse for this offensive line and his blocking has helped to propel the rushing offense to their No. 1 status. I don’t believe fans have given him the credit he’s earned after so much discussion about how fans wanted Ben Cleveland or Patrick Mekari to man the left guard role.
However, Head Coach John Harbaugh’s comments are allowing him to be less of an ‘unsung hero’ after his compliment during the bye week presser.
“We have talked about that position so much, and here he is, he’s kind of nailed it down. He’s become the established starter there, playing very solid football,” Harbaugh said. “[He’s] physical, smart, knows what he’s doing, rarely makes mistakes, just doing a great job for us.” — Kyle Barber
Morgan Moses — Baltimore needed stability at right tackle after a couple underwhelming seasons. The veteran bargain acquisition has delivered quality pass pro and impactful run blocking in 2022. An improved offensive line has been key to the Ravens 6-3 start and Morgan has been a large part of the equation. — Vasilis Lericos
Geno Stone — Like Chuck Clark, Stone was a late round pick who was pegged as a backup. Like Clark, when opportunity arose due to injury in Year 3, Stone has risen above the challenge. From baiting Tom Brady to hunting down running backs, Stone has been an elite level backup after the Ravens marquee acquisition went down for months. Stone is a starter in this league and deserves snaps even when Williams comes back. It will be interesting to see how they manage that in addition to Williams, Hamilton and Clark. — Spencer Schultz
Ben Powers — While the offensive line has been notable, what Powers has done was entirely unexpected. Coming into training camp, he was labeled as a trade or cut candidate. When he won the starting role out of camp, people questioned how long he would hold onto it. Well, it’s been nine weeks and there’s zero inkling of a possible switch. He’s the highest, I repeat, highest-graded passing blocking guard in the NFL. That’s above guys such as Joe Thuney, Quenton Nelson, Zack Martin, and Powers’ running mate Kevin Zeitler. Nobody would have predicted this. He’s a big part of why this offensive line has been elite. — Zach Canter
Geno Stone — I thought about giving this award to Ben Powers for the surprising job he has done at left guard this season. However, I am going with Geno Stone instead. When free safety Marcus Williams went down with a wrist injury that is expected to sideline him for much of the season, things could have gone from ugly to worse for a then struggling secondary. Instead, Stone stepped into the lineup and has been nothing but reliable every week. While he does not provide the playmaking ability that Williams brings to the table, Stone is rarely mentioned on gameday, which is perfect for a player who’s biggest responsibility is to prevent big plays from happening. Even when Williams returns to the field later this season, the Ravens would be wise to carve a role for Stone on defense. — Dustin Cox
Calais Campbell — Campbell quietly keeps plugging away in his 15th career season. He’s once again been a force against the run and more disruptive as a pass-rusher this season than in 2021. He missed Week 8 due to illness and returned to have two QB hits, half a sack and a pass knockdown against the Saints the next game. Campbell has 3.5 sacks, eight QB hits, nine pressures and a forced fumble in eight games. Outside of the box score, his veteran leadership on a young defense is invaluable as ever. Campbell staved off retirement in the offseason and is proving he still has plenty left in the tank. The Ravens are fortunate he chose to return for the 2022 season. — Frank Platko
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