Ravens hope rebuilt secondary can go from worst to first
The Ravens’ secondary is still under construction this offseason, but the pieces — maybe the last of them — are at least in place.
With cornerback Kyle Fuller agreeing to a one-year deal, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that he feels “really good about that group back there — I mean, really good about the secondary, personnel-wise.”
Not everyone in the Ravens’ revamped backfield was on hand for Wednesday’s first open practice of organized team activities, but there were enough big names to see the potential.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, back from a season-ending pectoral injury, didn’t give up much to top wide receiver Rashod Bateman in coverage. Safety Kyle Hamilton, the team’s top draft pick, easily won his two
repetitions in one-on-ones against rookie tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely. Safety Chuck Clark, showing up for voluntary workouts despite speculation about his future in Baltimore, was at the front of the line for positional drills and the voice of the defense in team drills. Defensive back Brandon Stephens lined up everywhere. Even reserve cornerback Kevon Seymour nearly had two interceptions in a three-play span.
And there’s more help on the way, too. Humphrey said safety Marcus Williams, the team’s top offseason signing, will participate in next week’s OTAs. Fuller, a Baltimore native whom Harbaugh called a “proven corner,” might join him. Cornerback Marcus Peters, meanwhile, is “coming along really well,” Harbaugh said, in his recovery from a torn ACL.
“I think that’s enough smarts where I can just play ball,” Humphrey said. “So I’m really excited about some of the guys that are here, or the young guys [rookie cornerbacks Damarion “Pepe” Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis], and some of the guys that will be here next week, working with us.”
After last season, the Ravens know there’s room for improvement. Injuries strained the team’s depth from Week 1 to Week 18, and breakdowns in coverage proved costly. The Ravens finished last in the NFL in pass defense (278.9 yards allowed per game) and third worst in pass defense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders.
Now the Ravens are less than four months from the start of another season where — on paper, anyway — they’ll have one of the NFL’s most talented secondaries. Could it be the best?
“I would love to prove it,” Humphrey said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I would love to make that statement be true. I know there’s a lot of work to go into it, with me being coming back from injury, Marcus coming back from injury, a rookie Kyle Hamilton, a vet Chuck that’s really led our defense the past couple of years. I know we have all the pieces, so I think it’s all really down to the players to just go out there, communicate, be fundamentally sound and prove it. I think we’re in a position that I can’t recall we’ve been in before with just who we have. And I think it’ll all
just come down to us.”