During his press conference before the free agency this week, DeCosta said there were “many different scenarios” playing out for Brown, who said he had not yet decided what he would do if the Ravens could not find a trading partner.
“We will do what’s best for Orlando, and we will do what’s best for the Ravens,” DeCosta said.
For Brown, it was a difficult process to decipher whether it was best for him to play left or play for the Ravens.
On the one hand, he began his NFL career with the organization he grew up with, the one that his father signed as an unknown free agent in 1993, while still being known as the Cleveland Browns and Brown Sr. . to Baltimore, where he eventually spent six of the ten NFL seasons he played. Brown sr. Died suddenly in 2011 due to a diabetic complication.
On the other hand, Ronnie Stanley closed the left before Brown arrived in Baltimore. But in Week 4 of the 2020 season, Stanley is found to be inactive with a shoulder injury, which opened the door for Brown’s return to left tackle for the first time since the Rose Bowl in January 2018.
“I played in a lot of big games in Baltimore, but that game was so special to me,” Brown said. ‘I remember being a 13-year-old kid setting a goal and a dream that grew up here in Baltimore to be the starter for the Ravens and one day could do what Jonathan Ogden did.
“For me to grab the chance against the Washington Football Team on the left, it was one of the most special moments of my NFL career for me personally.”
Stanley regained his position next week and moved Brown to the right again. The overall no. 6 in the 2016 NFL draft, Stanley has probably become the best in the league in his position. Stanley’s grip on the spot became even stronger when he signed a $ 98.75 million five-year contract in October. Coincidentally, Stanley suffered a broken ankle to the season a few days later.
Brown said it was a bit of an adjustment to switch back to the left in the middle of a season. The footwork is different, the movements are different and his brain had to remind his body to do things opposite side of the line. On top of that, the Ravens’ heavy-handed scheme often calls for runs to the right, which means the responsibilities usually differ for the left-handed approach at the back of the play.
That said, Brown quickly found a level of comfort. And while some judges have wondered if he could play left-handed tackles in the NFL after his shaky workouts (which included a 5.85-second 40-point streak), Brown feels at home. He noted that he will be even more comfortable if he gets the chance to practice on the left side this year.
Filling in the injured Stanley confirms Brown and his father’s conviction: the left is where he belongs.
‘It was:’ Left tackle, left tackle, that’s all you ever played. “And that’s all we’ve ever worked on,” Brown said of his father’s advice and supervision. “I’m better in the left handle; that’s what I dreamed of being all my life. We all have dreams, and we’re all put in positions where we have the opportunity to upgrade. That’s it for me.
“It’s a lot more emotional or mental to me, I think you can say left.”