The last time we saw Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith he was wearing a Halloween mask in the locker room and had disguised himself as an old man.
Smith wasn't limping at all.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh indicated during a season-ending press conference that Smith has made steady progress since undergoing Lisfranc foot surgery and is expected to be available for all offseason workouts.
"Jimmy will actually go into the offseason healthy. He'll be running here in a couple weeks, so he'll get a chance to get a full offseason in," Harbaugh said Tuesday. "Maybe four weeks might be the number off the top of my head. So, it's pretty encouraging that way."
Smith is the Ravens' top cornerback and was in the midst of a strong season before getting hurt against the Cincinnati Bengals in October. Smith had surgery Nov. 6 with Dr. Robert Anderson, the Carolina Panthers' team doctor and foot and ankle specialist, performing the procedure.
Smith's healthy return is pivotal to the Ravens' outlook for next season.
Without Smith, the Ravens finished 24th in passing defense and had to juggle their lineup throughout the season with Asa Jackson, Chykie Brown, Danny Gorrer, Anthony Levine, Dominique Franks and Rashaan Melvin all starting at times in his place.
Smith finished the season with 28 tackles, one interception and eight passes defended. He allowed just 20 completions for 163 yards and no touchdowns while being targeted 39 times.
"Like I said, you live with it," Smith said in November, the last time he commented on the injury. "You get over it. I'll be back."
Smith has prototypical size and speed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, but has only made it through one season in which he's started and played in every game. That was in 2013 when he recorded a career-high 58 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
The Ravens exercised a fifth-year option for 2015 for Smith this offseason, meaning he's due a $6.898 million base salary. The salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster the first day of the 2015 league year. Smith's original four-year rookie contract included a $3.926 million signing bonus.