Alejandro Villanueva agrees to two-year deal with Ravens

Posted by Myles Simmons on May 4, 2021, 10:28 AM EDT
Pittsburgh Steelers v New York Giants
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Baltimore has landed a right tackle.

According to multiple reports, former Steeler Alejandro Villanueva is signing a two-year, $14 million deal with $8 million guaranteed with the Ravens.

The move was expected after Baltimore traded Orlando Brown Jr. to Kansas City last month. The signing did not happen until May 4 so that it would not count in the compensatory draft pick formula.

After starting at left tackle for the last six seasons in Pittsburgh, Villanueva is slated to play right tackle for Baltimore. The club’s left tackle, Ronnie Stanley, signed a five-year extension with last October, prior to suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Brown filled in for Stanley at the position for the rest of the season. His insistence on wanting to play left tackle was one factor in why the Ravens traded him to the Chiefs.

Villanueva was No. 58 on PFT’s list of top 100 free agents. He’s started 90 consecutive games since Week 7 of the 2015 season.

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44 responses to “Alejandro Villanueva agrees to two-year deal with Ravens”

  1. As a Steelers fan I can assure you, he is completely washed up. TJ Watt is going to destroy him.

  2. Stanley Cleveland Bozeman Zeitler Villanueva

    That’s one stout line there!!

  3. meanj0e says:
    May 4, 2021 at 10:33 am
    As a Steelers fan I can assure you, he is completely washed up. TJ Watt is going to destroy him.

    —-

    So is Ben. Good luck battling the Bengals for 3rd place

  4. This guy only ever made a pro bowl because of a stupid stunt with a flag during the anthem. Don’t know how this guy is over 300 pounds considering that everyone eats his lunch.

  5. Hate to see him in Barney purple, but he’s a class act and a true hero. Best to you sir, and thank you for your service as usual!

  6. Ravens love signing solid veterans in the twilight of their careers and getting a few solid years out of them. Calais Campbell, Steve Smith, etc. Villanueva will no doubt see an uptick in performance once he gets immersed in the Raven’s winning culture.

  10. Villanueva made $6M a year over the past 4 years as an all-pro left tackle. Now that he’s on his last legs he’s going to make $7M a year as a right tackle? That makes no sense. Ravens should have drafted a right tackle with a high draft pick.

  11. Solid signing. He may start the season at left tackle if Ronnie Stanley’s ankle isn’t fully healed. Historically Stanley also misses 3-4 games a year, so Villanueva’s positional flexibility was a big factor in the Ravens signing him.

  12. A career left tackle moving to right tackle for his last couple years is like a corner moving to safety. A smart way to take advantage of a player’s intelligence and skill even as his athleticism wanes.
    Plus, there’s no guarantee Villanueva will end up starting pending how some of these young buck undrafted free agents pan out. He might end up providing depth. And for those who forget, the Ravens have one of the best records in finding UDFAs: Priest Holmes, Bart Scott, Mike Flynn, Justin Tucker… all undrafted.

  13. Curious decision given what they’re paying him. Then again, today is the opening of Free Agency for Baltimore.

  14. So is Ben. Good luck battling the Bengals for 3rd place

    Thanks! Good luck to the Pats battling the Jets for third place. Glass houses?

  15. all undrafted

    Be careful…don’t Pat yourself too hard on the back. Humility is not a Raven trait.Smhlmao

  16. So him doing what one is supposed to do and what people have always done is the “stunt” ? I’d say if anything the rest of them were pulling the stunt by caving to peer pressure, mob rule, and liberal antics.

  17. csszrr says:
    May 4, 2021 at 10:43 am
    This guy only ever made a pro bowl because of a stupid stunt with a flag during the anthem.

    Stunt? Mr. Villanueva to you has more cajones than you will ever possess. He stands for something he fought for, he was also willing to die for our nation.

  18. Buffet Ben’s season will be shorter than usual with their weak offensive line. Stay ready Mason & Josh.

  19. Vasteelerfan says:
    May 4, 2021 at 11:50 am
    all undrafted

    Be careful…don’t Pat yourself too hard on the back. Humility is not a Raven trait.Smhlmao

    2 6 Rate This
    —
    LOL this from the humblest of all fanbases, the Steelers! Bahahaha
    You’re just sad that your gloating days are obviously in the past now.

  20. It’s not a given that he will start, ideally he’s just a swing tackle and backup policy if Ronnie Stanley has issues returning from injury. I think the ideal situation is that Tyre Phillips who has all the tools and is in his 2nd year takes the RT spot. I will agree that he’s not Villaneuva is not the best run blocker but you could do worse than him and Kevin Zeitler on the right side of your line. Also remember due to the Ravens run schemes and the constant threat of Lamar it’s not the same as having to block for an aging statue with the Steelers. TBH I think the run schemes and Lamar’s athleticism hide some deficiencies in the Ravens O-line. I actually think Orlando Brown is going to be exposed majorly as a LT. His leverage in pass pro isn’t great and he doesn’t have the best feet.

  21. It seems like the offensive line for the Ravens went from being one of the best in the league to now question marks.

  22. The fact is he goes to a division rival! Ben gets hit alot. ALOT. Now one less blocker he has relied upon for years is now gone. Washed up no I dont think so. But I have been wrong we will see.

  23. Great dude. His path to the NFL was amazing and his story of landing at OT after being a WR and DE is even more amazing. But you’re not getting an upgrade here, Ravens fans. 28th ranked OT in a system where #7 got rid of the ball faster than any other QB in the league. That inflated his pass blocking numbers. He was not good as a run blocker, which would seem fairly important in the Ravens scheme. PFF graded him out as a 60, but you don’t need to trust that if you have eyes.

  24. Was hoping the Steelers would eventually pick him up for cheap.

    I don’t know if he can still be serviceable, honestly. But he’s a great guy, who wouldn’t want him and his leadership ability in the locker room?

  25. Blase Popik says:
    May 4, 2021 at 12:45 pm
    The fact is he goes to a division rival! Ben gets hit alot. ALOT. Now one less blocker he has relied upon for years is now gone. Washed up no I dont think so. But I have been wrong we will see.

    1 3 Rate This
    —————————————————————————–

    So…you’re saying its a good thing to sign the guy who is the reason Ben gets hit “ALOT?” LMFO. The logic is funny, but for the record no he doesn’t get hit very often at all. He took 13 sacks last year, compared to 46 in 2008. You’re thinking of Ben from more than a decade ago.

  27. Vasteelerfan says:
    May 4, 2021 at 11:43 am
    So is Ben. Good luck battling the Bengals for 3rd place

    Thanks! Good luck to the Pats battling the Jets for third place. Glass houses?

    —–

    I’ll put my money on Bill Belichick as over Mike Tomlin any time. So would you.

  28. Didn’t anybody watch the games?!
    One of the reasons Ben had to throw the ball in 2.2 seconds was that he couldn’t hold his block! That’s the reason he gave up so few sacks–Ben was getting rid of the ball in record time.
    Kind of an un informed bunch here…

  29. If Villanueva had much left in the tank, the Steelers would have retained him. Villanueva’s prodution has been declining of late, but maybe the Ravens can squeeze a year or two of decent play out of him.

  30. formerlyflaccodelic says:
    May 4, 2021 at 11:32 am

    there’s no guarantee Villanueva will end up starting pending how some of these young buck undrafted free agents pan out. He might end up providing depth.
    ================================================================================
    For $7 million a yea?

  31. The Steelers have only improved adding Najee Harris with a good defense. Villanueva was okay but his best days are behind him.

  32. so the Chiefs have a 24 yr old all pro left tackle for two years and $18M ( if they franchise Brown next yr) and the Ravens get a washed up tackle at age 32 for two years and $14M and a 3rd rd and 4th rd draft pick from Chiefs. ( They swapped 1st and 2nd round picks in this years draft).
    As a Chiefs fan, I’d rather have the all pro LT, just sayin…

  33. The upside of playing offensive line for the Ravens is that most of the time you can still run block on passing plays.

  34. He got paid a lot more than I expected. I was guessing $5 million and hoping the Steelers could keep him as depth.

    Good luck AL. You earned your rewards.

  35. Be careful…don’t Pat yourself too hard on the back. Humility is not a Raven trait.Smhlmao
    =================================================================================

    Says a man from a fanbase that waves towels in people’s faces and holds up six fingers like they were anointed from God or something. Really dude? Humility? Look in the mirror.

  36. I’ll put my money on Bill Belichick as over Mike Tomlin any time. So would you.

    No I wouldn’t. Betting on cheaters is not something I would do like hold a person skin color against them.

  37. If size matters on an O-line, the Ravens will be much better this year…
    Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (6-foot-6, 315 pounds), left guard Ben Cleveland (6-6, 357), center Bradley Bozeman (6-5, 325), right guard Kevin Zeitler (6-4, 315) and right tackle Alejandro Villanueva (6-9, 320)

  38. gooboy6 said:
    so the Chiefs have a 24 yr old all pro left tackle for two years and $18M ( if they franchise Brown next yr) and the Ravens get a washed up tackle at age 32 for two years and $14M and a 3rd rd and 4th rd draft pick from Chiefs. ( They swapped 1st and 2nd round picks in this years draft).
    As a Chiefs fan, I’d rather have the all pro LT, just sayin…
    —————————————
    1st, he was a Pro Bowl T at RT for a team that ran the most in the NFL, now moving to LT for a team that throws the most in the NFL. Let’s see how he does this year, before deciding whether the trade was good for either team.

    2nd, Ravens were able to draft both Bateman and Oweh in the 1st round because they traded Brown. Let’s see how they do with the Ravens, before deciding whether the trade was good for either team.

  39. Makes sense for him to sign with the Ravens his wife is from MD.

  40. I like this signing. He wasn’t great last year, but he will be an improvement for the right side of the Ravens line. Ravens run more play action (most in the league), and he’s surrounded with much better OL talent than Pittsburgh had, so his deficiencies should be masked a bit more. All in all, a durable player who improves the Ravens.

  42. Baltimore wants to learn more about the Steelers and their offense, blocking schemes, snap counts, formations, etc. They bought insider knowledge.

  43. Steelers’ fans are so delightfully predictable. When the guy plays for the Steelers, he’s the beast of all beasts, the minute he leaves a team in the middle of its total collapse, he’s suddenly garbage. Ever thought maybe these guys are sick of watching the playoffs from the couch and want to play for a real team that doesn’t keep falling for the annual Little Ben con job?

  44. Steelers’ fans are so delightfully predictable. When the guy plays for the Steelers, he’s the beast of all beasts, the minute he leaves a team in the middle of its total collapse, he’s suddenly garbage. Ever thought maybe these guys are sick of watching the playoffs from the couch and want to play for a real team that doesn’t keep falling for the annual Little Ben con job?

    When you QB leads the team to a Lombardi come back and crow until he stops choking in the big games. Deflection and distractions are political tactics. Just look at your own house first….when you do you’ll see Baltimore is a mess.

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