Getty Jimmy Smith playing for the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens have been taking care of plenty in their own house this offseason, and now, cornerback Jimmy Smith can be counted as the latest example of this.
According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Smith will be returning to the Ravens for the 2020 season. The cornerback was a free agent, but will stick with the team which drafted him.
CB Jimmy Smith just texted me: “I’m signing back with the #Ravens.”
Smith will now be staying with the Ravens on a new deal, bringing back a key piece to the team.
Jimmy Smith Expected to Join Free Agency
According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the Ravens expect Jimmy Smith to explore free agency. As Hensley said, general manager Eric DeCosta confirmed a few weeks back that he believes Smith will be looking at becoming a free agent.
Ravens’ preference is to keep Jimmy Smith but it has to come at a certain price. Baltimore is in the bottom half of NFL in cap space and can’t splurge on a No. 3 CB.
If Smith stays, Ravens have a top-tier CB group with Smith, Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey and Tavon Young.
If Jimmy Smith signs elsewhere, Ravens can use allocated cap space to sign FA corner and likely get comp pick next year.
It’ll be interesting to see what Smith’s market will be. When healthy, Smith is an extremely effective defender. But he’s missed 20 games over past 4 seasons.
If Smith had exited, the Ravens would have had a hole on the back end and will likely be part of the mix to sign a cornerback, but the team could have netted a compensatory pick from Smith’s departure as well.
Currently, there are no shortage of teams hunting for a reliable cornerback on the market, so Smith could have been someone who is in demand for a team in need of a veteran.
Obviously, the Ravens wanted him back as much as Smith wanted to return.
Jimmy Smith Career Stats
Smith has spent his entire career in Baltimore after being drafted by the team as a first round pick in 2011 out of Colorado. In his career, the 31 year old cornerback has been very solid, putting up 329 tackles, 14 interceptions and 3 defensive touchdowns. He also helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII with his solid play on the back end for Baltimore’s defense. As Hensley points out, the injury history is something which is tough to deny for Smith, however, and that could help in determining his value on the market.
Obviously, losing Smith would be a blow for the Ravens, who’ve come to depend on him as one of their more consistent options at cornerback and a guy they can depend on for veteran leadership in the secondary as well as big plays. It will be interesting to see if Smith would choose to return to Baltimore after looking around.
Ravens 2019 Defensive Statistics
Baltimore’s defense was a top group in the league this season. They were rated the No. 3 defense in terms of total yards allowed (300.6), the No. 6 defense in terms of passing yards per-game (207.2), and the 5th ranked rush defense in the league with 93.4 yards per-game.
A key point? Baltimore also piled up 37 sacks on the season, with Matt Judon accounting for 9.5 in 2019. Obviously, the defense is solid as a whole and has plenty to like moving forward, but the team would have to find a suitable replacement for Judon somewhere considering his overall talent if he were to leave. That’s been rumored so far this offseason. In terms of the defensive backfield, the Ravens collected 13 total picks last season which was a solid number.
The Ravens could be looking to add a new face if they end up losing Smith, and in the case that he leaves, the team will no doubt have to seriously chase a cornerback.
Obviously, Smith’s presence on the back end has been huge for the Ravens throughout his career. That will continue now with a new agreement.
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