Maybe the greatest testament to the strength of the Ravens’ secondary through the early days of training camp is how often it’s been ignored.
It’s not that Ravens quarterbacks have altogether avoided the team’s cornerbacks and safeties in practice. Like finding a sliver of summertime shade on the practice fields of their Owings Mills facility, it’s just not possible. One-on-one drills, for instance, are defensive back-only.
But when you mix maybe the NFL’s top secondary, maybe the NFL’s least proven group of receivers and a young quarterback who’s definitely more comfortable throwing short passes over the middle of the field, you get a result like Friday’s first 11-on-11 period.
Facing mostly the Ravens’ first-string defense, Lamar Jackson attempted six passes. None went to a wide receiver.
“It’s dangerous,” Jackson said of the secondary. “I told them to keep giving me good looks out there. I need it. [They are the] No. 1 defense to me, real talk.”
As the Ravens build their offense around Jackson, a not-quite-yet-proven 22-year-old, their defensive foundation is already well established. And highly compensated. Four of the seven highest-paid Ravens in 2019 play in the secondary: cornerbacks Jimmy Smith ($15.85 million salary cap hit) and Brandon Carr ($7 million) and safeties Tony Jefferson ($12.66 million) and Earl Thomas ($7 million).
The Ravens finished No. 5 overall in pass defense last season and No. 2 in opponent passer rating. Then they replaced the well-respected Eric Weddle with the more dynamic Thomas at safety. With the decision to retain Smith and Carr and the expected development of talented young players Marlon Humphrey and Tavon Young, the Ravens have what Thomas said Friday is the “potential to be the best” secondary in the NFL. Maybe the deepest, too.
“And it starts with attitude, which we already have,” he said. “So now it’s just getting to kick-start everything and making sure we’re on the same page. Communication — I go back to that, because that’s big for us. We have it all. We’re going to hit. We’re going to fly around. We’re very physical and fast. We have big corners on the outside. Tony has the juice at the strong safety. ‘Tay’ [Young] has it locked up at the nickel. We got it. … We have all the pieces.”
As tough as the Ravens have made it for their own quarterbacks this summer, as tough as they’ll make it for opposing quarterbacks this season, the barrier to entry for their backups remains just as daunting.
At cornerback, the Ravens have Anthony Averett, a 2018 fourth-round draft pick who, according to Pro Football Focus, was one of the top rookies at the position but saw most of his time on special teams. Coach John Harbaugh called Maurice Canady a “starter” last summer before yet another injury sidelined him. Rookie Iman Marshall, a 2019 fourth-round pick, was a four-year starter at Southern California.
At safety, Thomas will inherit Weddle’s snaps, provided he remains healthy and effective. Jefferson, like Weddle, only left the field last season to tend to injuries. Anthony Levine Sr. is a trusted presence on passing downs. Which means DeShon Elliott, one of the stars of the Ravens’ offseason workouts, and Chuck Clark, the only player with an interception through the first two days of training camp, are left to prepare for defensive snaps that might never materialize.
“The best players will play,” Jefferson said Wednesday. “Players will be on the field. If you can play, you’re going to play on this defense. That’s always been the motto. Take care of special teams, and you’re going to find a spot on defense. I don’t have to tell [the backups] anything. They already know. They’re playmakers themselves. This isn’t their first rodeo. They’re like little brothers to me, so if they ever need anything, they know they can holler at me. But I think they already know. Just continue to ball, and you’ll be on the field.”
There is plenty of time to make an impression. The Ravens have eight more training camp practices before their first preseason test, an Aug. 8 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Three more preseason games follow before roster cuts are due Aug. 31. Some players might get hurt. Others could be bound for the practice squad.
But in the secondary, “the standard is high,” Harbaugh said at mandatory minicamp last month. Standing out in coverage is an expectation, not a goal. And when there’s no telling how long it’ll be before another pass comes your way, each snap tends to matter more.
“Great competition, and I think it’ll bring the best out of everybody,” Jefferson said. “The better competition that you have, the better you play, I believe, and I think that’s where you find the real football players: the guys who stand up in competition, who are tough through the tough times. When you have bad plays, can you make it up and make a good play? … The depth here is obviously a great strength of ours, and we’re obviously going to use it to our advantage.”