Mixed reviews on Humphrey’s stature
Second-year cornerback trying to join ranks of elite; left tackle Stanley limited
Marlon Humphrey has the backing of his head coach and fellow cornerback in his bid to be considered one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. But at least one Raven player says he isn’t quite there yet.
Coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Humphrey is becoming one of the top cornerbacks in the league.
“I don’t want to put that on him and put pressure on him, but I think he’d appreciate it,” Harbaugh said. “I think he understands it, it’s his goal, and when he’s in there, we’re complete in the secondary, and he makes us pretty strong back there. The expectations are high. Our secondary has high, high standards and expectations for how we play. We expect to play at the highest level back there, and having that piece is a big part of it.”
But free safety Eric Weddle pumped the brakes on Harbaugh’s comment that Humphrey is moving closer to joining a group that includes the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey, the Los Angeles Rams’ Marcus Peters and the Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson.
“He just needs to be more consistent,” Weddle said Wednesday morning of Humphrey. “I think the sky’s the limit for him. He just needs to focus on every play. He has too many lapses in a game, and he knows it. I wouldn’t put him up there yet. He needs to be out there and play at a high level for the entire game, for a whole season. I love him. I think he can get there. But I wouldn’t anoint him yet.”
Humphrey, 22, validated the organization’s decision to spend last year’s first-round pick on him, finishing with 34 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. This season, he has 23 tackles and three breakups, but is searching for his first interception.
Humphrey, who made three tackles in the team’s 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 4 after missing back-to-back games because of a thigh injury, acknowledged that he is not in that top echelon yet.
“I know I’ve got a lot to work to do to get to the top with those guys,” he said. “But it feels good when your coach says something like that. It gives you confidence.”
Fellow cornerback Jimmy Smith said he has noticed an uptick in Humphrey’s on-field confidence.
“He’s definitely making strides,” Smith said. “He played really well last year. So he’s taking that step forward this year. The more plays, the more games, the more experience he gets, the better he’ll become.” Stanley limited: While much of Wednesday’s news centered on the status of quarterback Joe Flacco’s injured right hip, another starter made an appearance at the Ravens’ first practice since their bye week.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley participated in Wednesday afternoon’s session on a limited basis, which he predicted before practice.
“I’ll be doing some things today,” he said. “I’ll be out there. It won’t be full, but I’ll be there.”
Stanley said the left ankle injury that he suffered in the team’s 36-21loss at the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 28 and sidelined him for a 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 4 is improving. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is close to becoming one of the NFL’ top defensive backs, according to his coach, John Harbaugh.
Asked if he could play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals if he is limited all week or must participate fully, Stanley said: “You can go either way. I would love to get in a full practice, but if it so happens that I have to wait until game day, then so be it.”
If Stanley can’t play, Jermaine Eluemunor, who started at left tackle against Pittsburgh, would be available. Stanley declined to speculate on whether he will be able to return against Cincinnati.
“It’s just day by day,” he said. “We’ll see. It’ll be up to Coach [Harbaugh].”
In addition to Stanley, outside linebacker Tim Williams (right ankle) was limited Wednesday. Flacco, right tackle James Hurst (back) and strong safety Tony Jefferson (thigh) did not practice. Slot cornerback Tavon Young (ankle) was a full participant.
The Bengals practiced without four starters in linebackers Preston Brown ( knee) and Nick Vigil (knee), wide receiver A.J. Green (toe) and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (concussion).
Green did not play in Sunday’s 51-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints and is expected to miss another game. Vigil has sat out three consecutive games.
Three other Bengals starters in linebacker Vontaze Burfict (hip), right guard Alex Redmond (hamstring) and wide receiver John Ross (groin) were limited. Burfict has not played since Oct. 21. Canady ‘open to anything’: Designated Monday as a candidate to return from injured reserve, cornerback Maurice Canady (hamstring) said he is “open to anything,” even going as far as saying that he would line up at safety. Canady played in the team’s seasonopening 47-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, but was deactivated for the next two games before getting moved to injured reserve Sept. 17. The team has a three-week window to add Canady to the active roster or send him back to IR.
“I’m just looking to create any type of spark that I can,” the 2016 sixth-round draft pick said. “I just want to be an impact player whenever I do touch the field.” Study hall for Montgomery: Running back/ wide receiver Ty Montgomery did not make his debut with the Ravens in the loss against the Steelers after being acquired Oct. 30 in a trade that sent a 2020 seventh-round choice to the Green Bay Packers.
But Harbaugh said Montgomery — who has 26 carries for 105 yards and one touchdown, 15 catches for 170 yards and 10 kickoff returns for an average of 21 yards this season — is actively involved with the coaches on the offensive side of the ball and might be available Sunday against the Bengals.
“He’s really working hard at it,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not as easy as you think. The terminology is tough — we talked about it last week — the plays are a little different, the reads are a little different. Those are all things that he’s working really hard on. I’m very confident he could go in and play and play well, and he might. He’s working hard at it. The next three days are going to be really important that way because these are three specific practices toward actually what we’re going to run in the game, and I want to see what he looks like with that stuff.” Extra points: Nine days after saying that Kenneth Dixon’s return from injured reserve is complicated by what Harbaugh described as “issues,” the Ravens coach had no new information on the running back, who has not played since suffering a knee injury against Buffalo. “Have had no clarity on Kenneth Dixon’s status,” Harbaugh said. … Free safety Eric Weddle is the Ravens’ nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, which honors one player throughout the league who exemplifies sportsmanship on the field. The winner will be announced the night before the Super Bowl. … The team announced Wednesday that it added running back Tyler Ervin to the practice squad. Ervin was a 2016 fourth-round draft pick by the Houston Texans, who employed him as their primary return specialist, including this fall, when he averaged 25.3 yards on 10 kick returns. But he sat out the past 12 games of last season because of a torn patellar tendon and was waived by Houston on Nov. 7. To make room for Ervin, the team released cornerback Makinton Dorleant.