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The Baltimore Ravens have had individual players and even tandems from their defensive backfield receive lofty praise and projections from Pro Football Focus this offseason.
Second-year safety Kyle Hamilton was named a potential breakout candidate by Gordon McGuinness and last week, he and veteran Marcus Williams were named the best safety duo in the league by Jim Wyman.
Later in the week on June 23, PFF’s John Kosko had the new-look unit that he has highlighted by Hamilton and Williams as well as cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, and WhileRock Ya-Sin rounding out the top five on his 2023 NFL secondary rankings.
“The Ravens secondary struggled for parts of the early season but ended the campaign as the NFL’s 10th-highest-graded unit,” Kosko wrote. “That slow start was to be expected, given the new pieces and new defensive coordinator, but Humphrey and company will be tough to pass on this year now that they’ve had a full year to play together.”
While the Ravens still have a three-time Pro Bowler at one starting corner spot with Marlon Humphrey, he is slated to have a new running mate opposite of him this year as veteran ball hawk Marcus Peters remains unsigned. Kosko believes that despite some of their losses and lack of proven depth, they could contend for the top spot before the 2023 season even ends.
“Hamilton earned the highest grade of any safety in the NFL in 2022, while Humphrey was reliable as ever,” Kosko wrote. “This could end up being the best unit in the league by the end of the year.”
Proven CB Depth Remains Big Question Mark
The Ravens are essentially set as far as their starting lineup in the secondary outside of the nickel spot where Hamilton is making the transition from being a hybrid slot defender as a rookie to being a full-time strong.
Humphrey is projected to have fifth-year veteran Rock Ya-Sin who the team signed following the 2023 NFL Draft taking over for the other outside starting cornerback job. However, behind them are a host of unproven and relatively inexperienced young talent as well as some journeymen veterans that most project to be core special teams players than quality depth pieces.
The two players in the mix to be the first full-time starting nickel since Tavon Young’s last year with the team in 2021 are second-year pro Pepe Williams and third-year pro Ar’Darius Washington.
Williams sat out mandatory minicamp with an injury, Washington made the most of his extra reps and was one of the brightest standouts of the three-day organized team activity. That competition will be one to closely monitor once training camp begins and assuming Williams is healthy enough to stay in the race.
Kosko had third-year pro Brandon Stephens listed as a cornerback in his secondary rankings and while he is both capable and experienced at that position, head coach John Harbaugh said that the former third-rounder will be focusing more on playing safety this year. The Ravens needed more depth at that position group as well after trading Chuck Clark to the New York Jets this offseason and Stephens started 11 games at safety as a rookie in 2021.
That leaves the Ravens with a pool consisting of 2022 fourth-rounder Jalyn Armour-Davis who has struggled to stay healthy, fifth-round rookie Kyu Blu Kelly, veterans Trayvon Mullen, Kevon Seymour, and Daryl Worley as well as some undrafted rookies to duke it out for the primary backup spots behind Humphrey and Ya-Sin.
History Suggests Lack of Depth Could Become a Concern
The Ravens have been burned in the past plenty enough times to know that turning to youngsters and replacement-level veterans in the event of a rash of injuries at cornerback especially can cost them dearly in the playoffs or even prevent them from getting there entirely.
In 2021 following the season-ending injuries suffered by Hunphrey and Peters, their inability to consistently prevent opposing offenses from carving them up through the air caused them to miss the postseason for the first since 2017.
Seven years prior to that in 2014, their secondary was ravaged by injuries and that year as well and played a significant role in them blowing a pair of 14-point leads over the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the division round of the AFC playoffs.
Best Available Free Agent DB Options
Luckily for the Ravens, the veteran corner free agent market outside of Peters still has a handful of experienced options that could fill roles and provide quality depth.
Ronald Darby – The nine-year veteran has struggled with injuries at times but has started 88 of the 89 career games he has appeared in according to Pro Football Reference which included being a key starter for the Philadephia Eagles during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2017.
Troy Hill – The eight-year veteran has been one of the better slot corners for most of his career and would give the Ravens an established presence at the position to turn to even if didn’t win the job in training camp. He has 55 career starts under his belt and per PFR and has shown some impressive ball skills with his best season coming in 2020 when he recorded three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns and recovered a fumble for a score that year as well.
Anthony Averrett – The five-year veteran didn’t cash in following his breakout season with the Ravens in 2021 as many believed he would last offseason. After struggling to stay on the field for the Las Vegas Raiders and ultimately ending the 2022 season on their practice, he finds himself in the midst of a depressed veteran cornerback market in late June where a potential reunion with his former team makes perfect sense.
Originally a fourth-round pick by the Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Averrett provided quality depth for the first three years of his career. He made the most of his first shot as a full-time starter in year four when he recorded a career-high and team-leading three interceptions per PFR.
Bryce Callahan – The eight-year veteran is another established and proven slot cornerback that can also play outside and has some experience playing on some very top-notch defenses during his career. He has 56 career starts on his resume and is coming off a year where he recorded a career-high three interceptions with the Los Angeles Chargers per PFR.
Honorable mention
Kyle Fuller – The two-time Pro Bowler was set to be one of the Ravens’ primary backups and even rotate in the lineup on a regular basis in 2022 until he suffered a torn ACL in the team’s season-opener against the Jets. There’s no telling where he is in his recovery process but his healthy, interest, and availability will likely be on the front office’s radar as training game goes along or even after the 2023 season gets underway.
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