The Baltimore Ravens recently lost All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey to injury. There is belief that a procedure will be required, meaning Humphrey will miss the start of the regular season. As such, the Ravens will need to target new faces for their cornerback room.
This year, the Ravens have revamped their offense in a bid to win it all. Without Humphrey, Baltimore’s chances of success are drastically lessened. As a result, it is necessary for Baltimore to find a stopgap replacement.
Thankfully, Humphrey is only expected to miss some of the start of the season. As such, any replacement will only need to hold their own for a few weeks before the star corner returns.
However, the bad news is that Baltimore are already thin at the position. The team were already struggling to find an adequate CB2 on their roster. And then they were hit with a flurry of injuries.
Humphrey is merely the latest victim of the cornerback room’s injury bug. Baltimore lost Trayvon Mullen for the season and Damarion Williams is expected to also miss around a month of action. Favoured CB2 and new signing, Rock Ya-Sin, also suffered a nick a couple of weeks ago.
With their top four options either out or questionable, that leaves Baltimore with Jalyn Armour-Davis, Daryl Worley, Kevon Seymour, Ar’Darius Washington, Jeremy Lucien and Arthur Maulet. Needless to say, that does not appear to be a cornerback room of a playoff-bound team. Who could the Ravens target to supplement their cornerback deficiency following Humphrey’s injury?
5 Baltimore Ravens Cornerback Targets Following Marlon Humphrey Injury
William Jackson III (Free Agent)
William Jackson III visited the Ravens last week. He has yet to receive a contract offer from the team, but Baltimore may need to pull the trigger now.
Jackson, a former first-round pick, has previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been effective at times during his NFL career but has also proved to be a little inconsistent.
The 30-year-old veteran cornerback should not be relied on to be Baltimore’s starting CB1 throughout the year. However, as a stopgap while Humphrey recovers, he would be a good option. Jackson is a good scheme fit due to his strengths in man coverage and has the measurables to play as a boundary corner.
Having played for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Jackson would also offer Baltimore some valuable insights on their division rivals.
Ronald Darby (Free Agent)
Ronald Darby remains a free agent but has garnered interest from the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings lately. He also had a visit with the Ravens today.
Following the injury to star CB Marlon Humphrey, the #Ravens are hosting FA CB Ronald Darby today, source said. There is a need.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2023
Darby played just five games for the Denver Broncos in 2022 but was solid in all appearances. He earned a respectable 71.1 PFF grade for his efforts.
Darby is probably not the most natural fit for Baltimore. Denver’s defense has a very different scheme to Baltimore’s, one that is much less physical and reliant on strong perimeter man-coverage. For this reason, Darby might be a risky bet as Humphrey’s stand-in, especially as he is coming off a major injury.
However, Darby offers Baltimore value in the long term. Last year, the Ravens struggled in the slot corner position until Kyle Hamilton stepped up. Darby could lock down the slot corner position long term, thus freeing up Hamilton to be deployed in other areas.
Kyle Fuller (Free Agent)
Kyle Fuller most recently spent time with the Ravens but missed all of 2022 through injury. He looked good in camp, and many were excited by the trio of Fuller, Humphrey and Marcus Peters. However, it simply was not to be.
Could the Ravens bring back the former Chicago Bears cornerback? Fuller has shown versatility as a boundary and slot corner before. In this sense, he offers the best of both worlds in terms of a short-term fix and carving out a long-term role. Fuller is also familiar with Mike MacDonald’s scheme already, making him a plug-and-play addition.
However, a large part of this will come down to Fuller’s health and remaining athleticism. Coming off a major injury at 31 is no mean feat. Can Fuller even be 70% of his former self? It seems a big gamble to take.
C.J. Henderson (Carolina Panthers)
After a bright start to his NFL career, former first-round pick C.J. Henderson has crashed back down to Earth. Most recently, the Carolina Panthers declined Henderson’s fifth-year option.
It seems unlikely that Carolina will keep Henderson for their long-term plans. As such, moving on from him this year makes perfect sense.
For Baltimore, Henderson presents a new opportunity. While Henderson was a huge liability in 2022, he has shown his ceiling before. A change of scenery could help.
On top of that, the young cornerback would have a chance to prove himself on one of the league’s best defenses. With Henderson in a contract year, the 24-year-old has vowed to step up this year. He could be an excellent temporary replacement for Humphrey at the start of the season.
For the Ravens to acquire the Panthers cornerback, not much capital will be required. Henderson appears to be on his way out of Carolina already meaning a late-round pick swap would likely do the trick.
A late round pick for CJ Henderson… would you? pic.twitter.com/V8jsIW6hd1
— Pedro H. Rhormes (@rhormes_) August 16, 2023
Amik Robertson (Las Vegas Raiders)
Amik Robertson would be a sneaky good addition for Baltimore. The Las Vegas Raiders recently signed Marcus Peters, leaving Robertson to be a benchwarmer.
However, Robertson proved to be valuable for the Raiders last year. While he did not show elite talent, he filled in as a backup playing all 17 games and making two interceptions.
Like Henderson, Robertson is now in a contract year, meaning it would be a good time to trade for him. Baltimore would likely be able to acquire Robertson for minimal draft capital.
AMIK. FREAKIN. ROBERTSON.
Scoop & score @_YoungTruth7‼️‼️
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/0JHbPMoP3s
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 2, 2022
Other Baltimore Ravens Cornerback Targets Following Marlon Humphrey Injury
In terms of available free agents, Casey Hayward, Anthony Brown, Bryce Callahan, Cameron Dantzler, Logan Ryan and Jason Verrett could all be viable options as starting perimeter corners for the start of the year.
Andrew Booth Jr. could be another trade candidate to watch. He does not seem to be the perfect scheme fit for Baltimore, but he has the measurables to excel in the NFL. The former Clemson cornerback has recently been pushed down the Minnesota Vikings depth chart, suggesting he could be deemed surplus to requirements there.
Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr never went in with the 1s in any combination of different players.. not looking good for the 2022 high draft picks #Skol pic.twitter.com/Sr2s3W14iT
— Rick Sosa (@sosarick) August 12, 2023
Main Photo: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
