Getty Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young returns a fumble for a touchdown during a December 2018 game.
Former Baltimore Ravens starting slot cornerback Tavon Young has reached an agreement to join the Chicago Bears on a one-year deal, according to Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus.
Young was released by the Ravens on March 9 to clear $5.8 million of cap space that helped fund Baltimore’s free agent signings the following week, including star safety Marcus Williams on a five-year, $70 million deal.
But a reunion with Young was thought to be on the table in Baltimore, who stood by the 2016 fourth-round pick through season-ending injuries in 2017, 2019 and 2020. He rewarded that faith with a full 17-game season in 2021, one of the few constants in a battered Ravens secondary.
Instead, Chicago swooped in to sign Young on a cheap one-year deal worth only $1.4 million, with only $650,000 guaranteed, per OverTheCap. He’ll compete to start in the slot for the Bears, who struggled to find consistency at the position in 2021.
Ravens ‘Definitely Concerned’ About Cornerback Depth
Young’s March 9 release already left the Ravens thin at cornerback, with the departures of Anthony Averett and Chris Westry further depleting their secondary.
General manager Eric DeCosta acknowledge that issue during an April 5 press conference, telling media that the team is “definitely concerned” with their cornerback depth.
“We always want to have a strong secondary and have as many corners as possible,” said DeCosta, who expressed optimism about the return of All-Pros Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters from the injuries that ended their 2021 season.
“We feel like Marlon is going to come back with a vengeance and Marcus is going to come back with a vengeance, but behind those two guys, the depth is thin,” admitted DeCosta.
There are a few options available in free agency, including All-Pros Stephon Gilmore and Chris Harris, but they could command too much money for a team that is already spending almost a quarter of its cap space on the secondary, per Spotrac.
Those budgetary constraints will likely force the Ravens to use one or two of their 10 picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft on a cornerback.
The Ravens could add a cornerback as early as the first round, especially if LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. or Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner fall to Baltimore’s 14th overall pick.
Washington’s Kyler Gordon could be a logical Day 2 target given his pro-ready frame and athleticism, plus the versatility to play outside or in the slot. The Ravens could also opt for Sam Houston State’s Zyon McCollum, who has put up some of the best pre-draft athletic testing numbers of any cornerback in the last 45 years.
Zyon McCollum is a CB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.99 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 3 out of 1843 CB from 1987 to 2022. t.co/VQ0qXsv0ub #RAS
Geno Stone Signs ERFA Contract
The Ravens did get one player back for their 2022 secondary in former Iowa standout Geno Stone, who signed his exclusive rights contract with Baltimore on April 7.
As an exclusive rights free agent, Stone was only eligible to sign with the Ravens for the 2022 season, making the announcement a formality, but a welcome one after losing Young and Westry in the same week.
Stone began the season as a core special teams contributor and depth safety, but he was playing rotational snaps by the end of the season with Ar’Darius Washington and DeShon Elliott on the sidelines.