During a regime change, it’s common for veteran players to take on even larger leadership roles to ensure a smooth transition. The Baltimore Ravens are in one of those positions right now as they transition from the John Harbaugh era to the Jesse Minter era.
The Ravens, on both offense and defense, are loaded with veteran players. From Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on offense to Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton on defense, there are plenty of players to fill that leadership role.
However, one surprising leader on defense who so far doesn’t appear to be taking on a hands-on leadership role is Ravens All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
Weird Vibe
The always eccentric Marlon Humphrey has been a cornerstone of the Ravens defense since being selected with the 16th pick in the 2017 NFL draft out of the University of Alabama.
Humphrey has racked up the accomplishments as a Raven, becoming a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time First-team All-Pro. Entering the last year of his contract, however, Humphrey’s future in Baltimore seems as uncertain as ever.
The new coaching regime, combined with that uncertainty, has contributed to what Ravens beat writers have described as a “weird vibe” surrounding Humphrey during Ravens mini-camp.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and “Road Grader’s” Cole Jackson discussed on “Baltimore Collective” about the vibe surrounding Humphrey and questions on his leadership.
“I think that one was probably the biggest stock down for me,” Jackson said of Humphrey. “Just not even from a playing perspective, but optically from his leadership. New voice, new coach, especially it’s a new defensive head coach. Just to have a little bit better of a leadership approach.”
Zrebiec then mentioned the “weird vibe” surrounding Humprhey.
“I have to admit there is a weird vibe with him this past week,” Zrbiec said. “He was out there, but he really wasn’t participating. There was the Instagram post where he ripped the new uniforms, which I’m sure went over real well. Marlon marches to the beat of his own drum; he does not care, but it was just something a little weird about that.”
While Humphrey and the Ravens’ relationship seems tenuous at the moment, some coaches still view him as someone who can make positive contributions to the team.
One of One
Even though there is a chance that Marlon Humphrey might be on the other side of his prime, his ability is rare to come by, and what makes him, even with concerns about declining ability and being fully bought in, someone the Ravens wanted to keep around.
New Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has stated that he believes Humphrey is a “one of one” player. Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora, in his June 2 article, wrote about Weaver’s assessment of Humphrey at OTAs.
“Even though he’s not here, I have no doubt that he’s doing the things required to make that jump from his play a year ago,” Weaver said. “Admittedly, I know there’s been some disappointment there with how he played for himself, but I know we can help him reach whatever standard he wants to hold for himself.”
What Humphrey’s future in Baltimore is remains to be seen, but while he’s a Raven, the expectation from the coaching staff is for Humphrey to be professional and to try to play to the standard that made him a multiple-time All-Pro.
Ravens Analyst Says Marlon Humphrey Had Weird Vibe During Mini-Camp