Patriots may be suitors for Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley in free agency

Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley becomes a free agent next week, and Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta recently said he’s optimistic Stanley will stay in Baltimore. But the Ravens may have to out-bid the Patriots to make that happen.

There’s buzz at the Scouting Combine that the Patriots will aggressively pursue Stanley, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Stanley is the No. 6 player and top available offensive lineman on our list of the NFL’s Top 100 free agents, so he’ll be near the top of the list for any team looking to bolster its offensive line. And Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have made clear that they see bolstering the offensive line as a priority.

The Patriots are at the top of the league in salary cap space, with far more available to spend than the Ravens have, so if it comes down to money, the Patriots could make Stanley a more lucrative offer.

After a long history of struggling with injuries, Stanley started all 17 regular-season games and both postseason games for the Ravens last year. He’s hitting free agency at a good time and will likely have several lucrative offers, with the Ravens and Patriots among the teams eager to sign him.