The Baltimore Ravens need a bit more help in the secondary after a rough Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the loss, Baltimore surrendered 292 passing yards and 4 touchdowns to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The Ravens had a 13-0 halftime lead that evaporated quickly in the last 30 minutes, as Baltimore fell to Cincinnati 35-13.
After that rough loss, the Ravens needed to act quickly to get help in the secondary. With injury concerns at safety, they are bringing in outside help to address it.
Baltimore Ravens Sign Former Pittsburgh Steelers Defender
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Ravens are signing veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins to the roster. Jenkins most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, and also with the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers.
“Sources: The #Ravens are signing veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins. The 10-year veteran has started 92 career games and brings much-needed depth to Baltimore’s secondary.”
The 10-year veteran has started 92 career games and brings much-needed depth to Baltimore’s secondary.
Jenkins played in six games this season for the Steelers, recording 16 tackles. The team released him just before Week 7.
He was a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft. In 145 games, he has racked up 578 tackles, 34 pass deflections, 20 tackles for loss, 11 interceptions, 10 quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 pick-six.
Ravens Hoping to Get Better Version of Rayshawn Jenkins
Still Curtain’s Tommy Jaggi went into more detail about the struggles that led to Jenkins’ benching and eventual release. It shows how the veteran struggled throughout the season.
“Jenkins’ perfect passer rating allowed this season doesn’t begin to tell the whole tale. In addition to being bad on paper, the 32-year-old posted a despicable 31.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus-good for 97th among 98 qualifying safeties this year [$]. This included a disgusting 45.6 run defense grade and a 37.7 coverage grade.
Jenkins hasn’t played a single snap for the Steelers since his stinker performance against the Cleveland Browns back in Week 4. In this contest, Jenkins was benched after just 13 snaps when he allowed a 60-yard pass on a blown coverage. These would prove to be his last snaps in Pittsburgh.
As Jenkins rode the bench over the past few weeks, Spears-Jennings, the team’s seventh-round pick, has seen an uptick in opportunity, and the results have been significantly better.”
“Releasing Jenkins was a decision that was a long time coming, and one that couldn’t have been easier for the team to make. Not only has Spears-Jennings been a notably better player since taking over Jenkins’ role on defense, but he’s also a full decade younger (22).
What’s wild is that it took the Steelers two months to realize that Jenkins is a bad football player. There’s a reason he was on his fourth NFL team in as many years. Who could have seen this coming? (I’m being sarcastic, of course.)”
With Jaylinn Hawkins out with a knee injury, Jenkins brings veteran experience and help. The hope is that he can be ready for their Week 8 showdown with the Buffalo Bills.
Ravens Sign 578-Tackle Steelers Castoff After Week 7 Bengals Debacle