Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that he’s “optimistic” the team can re-sign left tackle Ronnie Stanley, the team’s top pending free agent, to a contract extension.

DeCosta said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis that he plans to meet with Stanley’s agent this week. The league’s legal tampering period, when teams can negotiate deals with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents, begins March 10.

“You never want to say 100%,” DeCosta said, “but I feel good that we’ll have a good, healthy debate, a good process.”

While Ravens coach John Harbaugh is confident the team could move right tackle Roger Rosengarten over to the left side or find a new left tackle through the draft or free agency, his wish is for Stanley to return.

“I think we’ll probably keep Ronnie,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful that we will.”

Stanley, 30, started all 17 games last season and would be one of the NFL’s best available free agents when the new league year opens next month. He finished 2024 ranked 12th among qualifying tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate and 15th in Pro Football Focus’ pass blocking grade at the position, easing concerns about how his long injury history would affect his ability.

According to projections from PFF and Spotrac, Stanley could be in line for a two-year deal worth about $20 million annually in free agency. The Ravens, with their limited salary cap space, would not be well positioned to win a bidding war. According to Russell Street Report, the Ravens would have just $12.7 million in space if the NFL establishes a $279.5 million cap, though the team has several levers available to create more financial flexibility.

DeCosta said before the 2024 season that he expected “a couple of hiccups along the way” with the Ravens' rebuilt offensive line, but predicted that “a year from now, we’ll be in a great place.” If Stanley and starting guard Patrick Mekari both leave in free agency, however, the Ravens would enter 2025 with a rebuilt left side of the line and perhaps questions at both tackle spots.

Rosengarten was one of the NFL’s most impressive rookie linemen and could move over to Jackson’s blind side if Stanley is not re-signed. But Rosengarten got limited snaps in college at left tackle, and a move there this offseason would create another hole at right tackle.

“We think Roger had a great year last year,” DeCosta said. “He’s a very good athlete. He’s way [more] mature than a typical young player. I think he proved that this year with how he played and competed, week in, week out, whether it was on-field performance against good players, coming back from injuries and things like that. So he’s definitely a factor on the left side, if need be.

“I think we’ll try to find the best five guys we can. I think that there were a lot of questions about the offensive line last year, and I think we did a pretty good job of putting a pretty competitive offensive line together on the field last year. And I would expect the same to hold true this year.”

The Ravens could find a potential replacement at tackle in free agency, but it wouldn’t be cheap. DeCosta could also look to the draft, where the Ravens have been linked to several tackle prospects in the first and second round.