Young expects to build on first NFL touchdown

Tavon Young’s 12-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Ravens’ 26-16 victory at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday marked the cornerback’s first touchdown of his NFL career. It was also his first fumble return for a touchdown since his junior year at Temple in 2014, but he deferred credit to inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, whose strip-sack of quarterback Matt Ryan led to Young’s score.

“It was cool,” he said. “Shout-out to ‘Peanut’ [Onwuasor]. I didn’t really do anything. I just returned it. But he’s the one that caused it, and I just finished the play.”

Young has made several key plays in his first year since returning from a torn ACL that wiped out his entire 2017 season. He ranks second only to Brandon Carr among the defense’s cornerbacks in tackles with 31, has broken up four passes and intercepted one pass in 479 snaps, which ranks ninth on the unit.

Free safety Eric Weddle said Young, who has battled ankle and groin injuries this season, has fortified the secondary.

“He’s one of our best cover guys and one of our best football players when you look at our team and look at what he can do,” Weddle said.

But Young is an unforgiving critic, especially of himself. “I’m playing decent, but I could turn it up more,” he said. No Raven has more than one interception thus far, but Young said he should have more.

“I want the ball more,” he said. “You’ve got to be greedy for the ball. I’ve only got one interception. So I feel like we’ve got to get more turnovers, and it starts with the cornerbacks and the secondary.”