Humphrey shrugs off vets’ ribbing
Ravens cornerback shooting to join league’s elite class
Tony Jefferson could not help himself. The Ravens safety had just been asked about his secondary- mate, Marlon Humphrey. “Marvin?” he said with a smirk, trotting out the nickname Ravens veterans use to goad Humphrey on social media.
Then, Jefferson turned serious. “I would give him — for our offseason training camp — I would give him the MVP just based off how he came back,” he said. “It was very rare to see the ball caught on Marlon this offseason. It was kind of one of the better training camps I’ve seen from a cornerback since I’ve been in the league.”
That minute of commentary, offered six days before the start of the Ravens’ 2019 season, summed up perfectly Humphrey’s
standing with the team.
Two months after his 23rd birthday, he’s still fresh enough to be the subject of sarcastic goofs. But the guys doing the joking fully expect him to be one of the best and most important players on the team this season. In fact, the ribbing feels like a form of respect, as if these established professionals would not bother unless they saw potential for greatness in Humphrey.
The Ravens will need him and the rest of the secondary to meet that standard if they’re to defend their AFC North crown this season. They lost a string of established starters from the edges and middle of their top-ranked defense, and much of their remaining star power is packed into that high-priced back line.
“Everybody out there is all on one accord,” Humphrey said during training camp, as the holdover group of him, Jefferson, Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith came together with veteran safety Earl Thomas III. “Everybody trusts each other to do their job. But, as far as me, I just feel comfortable around the building, I feel comfortable on the field.”
Few would be shocked if Humphrey emerges as the star of stars in his third season. He can run step for step with No. 1 receivers while playing with an ornery spirit that distinguishes him from more finesse-oriented cornerbacks.
He’s climbed steadily since the Ravens drafted him in the first round out of Alabama in 2017. As the son of former NFL standout Bobby Humphrey and a starter for the most successful college program of recent times, Humphrey arrived in Baltimore with plenty of pedigree, and he quickly proved he could shoulder that legacy. He took another step forward last season, earning acclaim as one of the league’s top cover cornerbacks from the analysts at Pro Football Focus and winning team MVP honors as voted by local media.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh appreciated Humphrey’s ardent study of the cornerback position from early on. “He’s always been that way,” Harbaugh said recently. “Now that he knows more, he does more. That’s him. He’s a pro in every way, and he doesn’t waste a second.”
But always, Humphrey’s elders hovered in the background, prodding and reminding him not to feel satisfied.
Former Ravens safety Eric Weddle practically scoffed last year when asked if Humphrey already ranked among the team’s top cornerbacks.
“He just needs to be more consistent,” Weddle said midway through the season. “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 himupthere yet. Heneeds 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 has taken those words to heart, consistently brushing past questions about his increased profile among the league’s top cornerbacks. He’ll drop hints about his lofty goals, a Pro Bowl berth among them, but only rarely.
“It’s just hype,” he said Wednesday. “There’s not really substance behind it.”
There was plenty of substance to Humphrey’s play this summer. From the moment he showed up for offseason activities, he seemed locked in on every drill, as if Weddle’s words about consistency echoed on a repeat loop in his brain. He said he had actually taped quotes from Weddle and departed linebacker Terrell Suggs on his bathroom mirror so they’d be with him every morning.
Even those who insist on calling him Marvin could not help but notice.
“He’s actually honed in on his craft, and I think that’s going to take him a long way,” Jefferson said. “We’re depending on Marlon, obviously, and I think he can be a top-two, maybe No. 1 cornerback in the league when it’s said and done.”
Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale offered a quizzical look when asked about the heckling Humphrey receives but agreed with Jefferson’s assessment of the third-year cornerback.
“I don’t know a whole lot about the social-media thing,” Martindale said. “But to answer the second part, I think they’re all impressed as we all are. I think that he’s going to be a top corner in this league, and every Sunday is going to be a challenge for him to prove that. But just what he’s done during training camp has impressed us all.”
So what does the man himself think of all the “Marvin” talk? Good luck trying to crack Humphrey’s look of studied indifference on that subject.
“It’s just social media,” he said as he prepared to walk out for practice. On to more important business.