Ravens Safety Making Case for Consistent Role on Defense

The deepest and most talented position group on the Baltimore Ravens this year is safety where they have five players that are capable of starting on most defenses in the league or at least seeing the field regularly. They are highlighted by prized free agent acquisition Marcus Williams, first-round rookie Kyle Hamilton, and stalwart veteran Chuck Clark. 

Third-year pro Geno Stone was viewed by many as a player on the roster bubble heading into training camp but after a sensational showing in the team’s preseason-opening win over the Tennessee Titans on August 11, it’d be hard to imagine him not only making the roster, but carving out a regular role defense.

He has been the best and most consistent defender in the preseason for the Ravens in each of the last two seasons and showed that he can make plays in the regular season as well in limited opportunities.

He views each rep he receives in live action against an opposing team as a chance to learn from his experiences and apply the knowledge gained off the field.

“I feel like every time I go on the field, it’s just an opportunity to show what I can do,” Stone told reporters. “There’s a lot of depth at the safety position – that’s a good thing, too – all of us can play. I just feel like every time I go out there, I just try to learn everything I did in the classroom from them and just go apply it on the field.”

Stock on the Rise

Against Tennessee, he made plays all over the field at every level of the defense in both coverage and run support. He broke up a pair of passes that could’ve been interceptions and finally corralled a third that hit his hands off of a deflection.

He finished with two total tackles, one of which was arguably his best and play of the night. Stone came flying downhill on a run to the outside and knifed into the backfield like he was shot out of cannon to take down the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage for a loss.

This Is Nothing New

The former Iowa Hawkeye was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2020 and at the time he was selected was praised as one of the biggest steals in the entire draft because of all the instincts he displayed in college.

While he had a bit of a slow start to his career, Stone is certainly on the right trajectory to establish himself as a player that can impact the game in a multitude of ways both in the back end as well as in the box and near the line of scrimmage.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot. In my rookie year, there were a lot of ups and downs for me; it was really like a full experience in the NFL – how it all works and everything,” Stone said. “I feel like each year, I just keep progressing, and that’s a good thing. I feel like I’m getting adjusted to being a pro. I had a lot of guys in front of me to show me how to be a pro.”

The Next ‘Co Cap’?

One of the players that Stone mentioned by name that helped show him what being a true pro entails and is all about is former special teams ace, Anthony Levine who retired and joined the coaching staff this offseason. Being a core contributor in the often overlooked third phase of the game will greatly impact and enhance his chances of making the roster. 

While many assumed that veteran safety Tony Jefferson would slide right into Levine’s role as the leader of the unit after he was re-signed this offseason, Stone was the one that was lined up as the personal protector on the punt team, was very active on multiple units, and said he hopes to help fill that particular vacancy while still being a consistent contributor on defense.

“I’m just trying to do as much as I can for this team; as much as I can,” Stone said. “ If that’s special teams, finding my role on defense, [I’ll] just try to be more of a leader this year; that was one of my biggest goals. [I’ll] just try to do everything I can for the team, especially special teams.”

Soaring Confidence

Stone is grateful for the extended opportunities he got to see on defense down the stretch last season and feeling more confident than ever in his ability to read, react, and anticipate which allows him to play much faster.

“I just feel like it’s confidence,” he said. “Knowing where the ball is going to be at that time and just taking advantage of the opportunity.”

As long as he stays healthy and keeps up his high level of play, Stone will continue to prove he is well deserving of a consistent role on defense. Barring injury, he will likely only come on the field for sub packages as an extra deep safety to go along with Williams on obvious passing downs.

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