He was, in a way, the central plank to the mystery.

Would the Ravens’ offensive line function in 2024? Not if Ronnie Stanley could not be A) present and B) a decent approximation of the guy who protected the blind side as well as anyone in the world in 2019 and 2020.

Stanley will be the first to tell you he was not himself a year ago after he injured his knee in the season opener and re-injured it in November. Try as he might, the former All-Pro left tackle could not comfortably flex his body for movements he had taken for granted as a young man.

He’d already lost the better part of two seasons to a terrible ankle injury, and he began to wonder if he would ever catch a break. Even under the best circumstances, an NFL veteran’s health becomes a cloudier issue after he turns 30, as Stanley did in March. Would he ever feel good enough to tap fully into skills he knew he had not lost?

The Ravens needed the answer to be yes after they waved goodbye to veteran stalwarts Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses in the offseason. Their line, without which Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry could not soar, would be remade, with Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum as the only carryover pieces. No one else on the roster could touch Stanley’s resume. They needed him to be that guy.

Through seven games, he has been, playing all but two of the team’s offensive snaps and grading as the league’s third best pass blocker at tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. In 245 pass blocking snaps, he has allowed nine pressures and no sacks. He ranks 10th among tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate.

“I think he’s right back to that level he was at,” Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness said. “He’s just not allowing guys to beat him. And his run blocking grade is not quite back to where it was in 2019, but he’s on track for the second highest of his career. … I didn’t think he’d ever be back at this level, so it’s been really cool to see.”

Jackson watched his chief protector and locker room neighbor make that long climb back from the 2020 ankle injury that left him writhing on the field and led to multiple surgeries. He knew how much it would mean to his game to play behind a vintage Stanley.

“That was the only thing with Ronnie, just the injuries,” Jackson said. “He was just trying to get back to where he was, and I feel like he’s feeling pretty good now, and he’s just the same Ronnie I knew ever since I entered the league. … I get to go through my progressions, get the ball out and just have successful plays.”

Stanley spoke candidly last season of feeling haunted by the knee injury that would not allow him to be himself.

“It definitely messes with you, your confidence and stuff,” he said Thursday, reflecting on that time. “Your mind wants to do one thing, but your body can’t do it. And when you’re out there, you can’t really think too much about it. You just have to react.”

So it has been a tremendous relief for him to move freely again, confident that his legs will provide a solid anchor and keep him in front of world-class pass rushers such as Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year he will face Sunday in Cleveland.

“I just feel like I can kind of let my subconscious take over,” he said. “I feel like I’m thinking less and just playing with more confidence and belief in myself.”

Beyond his exceptional play, Stanley has emerged as a galvanizing senior voice for a unit that’s not only young but experienced the death of its longtime coach, Joe D’Alessandris, and the abrupt transition to a new guide in George Warhop. Through a chaotic and emotionally rending three months, Stanley has appeared on the practice field every day, often staying after to give sparring lessons to younger peers such as rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten.

Rosengarten was a freshman in high school when he first studied Stanley as a model of how to play tackle.

“My parents, I’m always going to take advice from them. The same thing goes when it comes to Ronnie,” Rosengarten said. “He’s such an experienced player. Anything he tells me, I take it fully and put it into my game. You have the technique stuff, but the biggest thing is he tells me that I belong right where I am. He just gives me the utmost confidence in myself.”

Stanley might not expect comparisons to a teammate’s mom and dad. “Never really thought about that,” he said, grinning. But he does get a kick out of his role as the elder statesman for a group that has greatly exceeded expectations. He’s charmed by the notion that he might imprint on Rosengarten or Daniel Faalele in ways that help them become quality NFL starters.

“They all listen,” he said. “They’re all hard workers. They’re tough.”

Beyond his importance to the Ravens’ Super Bowl ambitions, this is a pivotal year for Stanley individually. He’s coming to the end of the five-year, $98.75 million deal he signed at the peak of his powers. He took a $7.5 million pay cut going into this season and will be a free agent when it’s over. If he continues on his current trajectory, he could set himself up for a substantial third contract in a league starved for standout offensive linemen.

He reiterated Thursday that his goal is to play 15 NFL seasons, a prospect that seemed further from reach during his injury hiatuses.

Stanley has impressed everyone with his response to this crossroads moment. For his friends on the team, it’s a joy to watch him play this way again after so many years defined by pain and frustration.

“He’s playing great,” said Patrick Mekari, the second-longest tenured Ravens lineman behind Stanley. “The small details that maybe you guys don’t realize — he makes everything work. Like I’ve seen him block two guys in pass [protection], which sounds good on paper but it’s really difficult to achieve. The balance in his stance, the timing of his hands — it’s all just really good. You see him putting it all on the line.”

Mekari kept coming back to the effort he’s seeing from his longtime teammate after so many dispiriting injuries. No one ever questioned Stanley’s innate smoothness gliding sideways and back to cut off an edge rusher.

“But a lot of people are naturally talented,” Mekari said. “That doesn’t make you an All-Pro. That doesn’t make you the best in the league. He’s had to work through a lot.”

Peak Stanley spoke to the souls of those who grade and study offensive line play. He was 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, yes, but he glided through all the movements so naturally. He lost some of that elegance to the injuries, but those who watch him closely see it again, much to their surprise and delight.

Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker.