There was growing optimism in Baltimore on Monday that the Ravens would be able to retain left tackle Eugene Monroe and signs continue to point in that direction on Tuesday.
Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reports that the two sides are “very close” to an agreement that would keep Monroe in Baltimore for the next few years. Kinkhabwala’s colleague Ian Rapoport adds that the deal “should” be done before players are free to join other teams at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon.
Nothing is official until it is official, of course, but the recent change in tone regarding talk of Monroe’s return to Baltimore certainly bodes well for the Ravens’ chances of keeping him. With other teams able to speak to Monroe’s representatives for the last three days, things would likely be trending in the other direction if Baltimore’s offers were not more appealing than what other teams have pushed in Monroe’s direction.
It also probably doesn’t hurt that the other top left tackles in free agency have all been strongly linked to new homes away from Baltimore already. That leaves fewer options for both Monroe and the Ravens and all the more reason for them to bridge their earlier gap.