aaron ross

For months, they've heard the talk about how they could be the weak link of an otherwise championship-caliber team. They've been reminded about their roles in blowing two 14-point leads in an AFC divisional playoff loss to the New England Patriots in January. They've dealt with injuries and change, and now the Ravens' secondary gets another challenge: Peyton Manning.

In the past three years, the Ravens have gone from having one of the older rosters in the NFL to being in the middle of the pack.

Tyler Fiorito made 23 saves and Ben Rubeor scored 23 seconds into overtime Saturday night as the Chesapeake Bayhawks beat the host Ohio Machine, 12-11.

The Ravens have displayed interest in veteran cornerback Tarell Brown with no deal imminent, according to a league source.

Now, defensive coordinator Dean Pees expressed confidence that the secondary will improve significantly this year.

General manager Ozzie Newsome stood next to Jimmy Smith at the Ravens' training complex a week ago and broke into a wide smile moments after the cornerback signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension.

Darian Stewart's interception ended the Steelers' final trip into the red zone during the Ravens' 30-17 win in the AFC wild-card round at Heinz Field. And it gave the secondary a measure of redemption after the unit allowed six touchdown passes in the Ravens' 43-23 loss to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers on Nov. 2.

Ravens starting cornerback Asa Jackson is out for the remainder of the season with posterior cruciate ligament damage, according to coach John Harbaugh.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Asa Jackson, safety Terrence Brooks go down with knee injuries. Rashaan Melvin was forced into action.

The Ravens have promoted rookie running back Fitz Toussaint from the practice squad to the active roster, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Ravens veteran wide receiver Torrey Smith has a sprained knee with no ligament tears, according to coach John Harbaugh.

With four games remaining, the Ravens still are in relatively decent shape for a postseason berth, but they can pretty much forget the playoffs if they lose to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Jimmy Smith was playing as well as any corner in the NFL. In a first half filled with injuries, his loss is the biggest yet for the Baltimore Ravens.

Chicago Bears rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller has been named the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month.

hen the Ravens face the Washington Redskins and their explosive wide receiver tandem of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, their lack of cornerback depth will come into focus.

Before they left the visiting locker room at AT&T Stadium late Saturday night, the Ravens defense had reached a consensus in their evaluation of what had transpired over the previous three hours. The defenders believed that they had done some good things, but they also recognized that their play was nowhere near good enough.

The Ravens could ill afford an injury to another cornerback but that's exactly what they got when Jimmy Smith went down early with a chest injury.

Responding to a question about whether rookie safety Terrence Brooks could be an option in the nickel back role, Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees' answer probably could have applied to several positions.

During Sunday's practice, the Ravens appeared to suffer their second serious injury of training camp at defensive end. Kapron Lewis-Moore was carted off the practice field in tears and obvious pain with what coach John Harbaugh later said appears to be a torn Achilles tendon.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees said Friday that the outside concerns about the Ravens cornerback depth isn¿t unfounded. The team feels the same way.

Needing to upgrade their cornerback depth, the Ravens signed former Arena League standout Marrio Norman and released wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard.

Veteran cornerback Dominique Franks regards the Ravens' conditioning test as grueling enough that he doesn't want to ever have to run it again.

With several of their cornerbacks either struggling to keep up or dealing with injuries, the Baltimore Ravens are one injury away from a potential concern becoming a full-fledged problem.

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith wouldn't discuss his recent arrest, but he said that he'll give his side of the story when the legal matter is settled.

Ray Rice's two game suspension for his domestic violence arrest with his wife loomed large over training camp Thursday.

Veteran cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Dominique Franks weren't on the Ravens' practice field today for the start of training camp.

Webb and Smith are entrenched as the team¿s top two corners but there are plenty of questions once you move beyond them. Brown and Jackson have all shown some flashes, but they are still unproven commodities who have battled inconsistency during their Ravens¿ careers.

Webb turned serious for a moment when asked if he expects the Ravens to rebound from an 8-8 season last year where they didn't make the playoffs for the first time under coach John Harbaugh.

The Ravens had some interest in Brandon Flowers but not enough to make a serious bid for the cornerback who agreed to a 1-year deal today with the San Diego Chargers.

There was no big youth movement this offseason like there was last year, but when the Baltimore Ravens open up the 2014 campaign, they could again boast of having a relatively young team.

The Ravens are $4.159 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $133 million with 90 players on the roster after signing five players to contracts last week following minicamp tryouts.

As the Ravens enjoy a four-week break before training camp, now would be good time to secure the future of Haloti Ngata, the anchor of an improved defensive line.

Now that the Ravens have signed Dominique Franks after a successful minicamp tryout, the veteran cornerback is set on forging a versatile role.

The Ravens have released three undrafted rookies to create roster spots for five new players.

The Ravens wrapped up mandatory minicamp Thursday in Owings Mills

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will spend the next month working out and keeping his right arm in shape through regular throwing sessions with friends, teammates and anybody else capable of catching a tight spiral

The Ravens plan to sign veteran cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Dominique Franks following their successful minicamp tryout, according to sources.

The Ravens are signing veteran linebacker Austin Spitler following a successful minicamp tryout, according to NFL sources.

The bond between Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is deep enough that the former Pro Bowl kick returner jokes frequently that Kubiak is his real biological father.

Ravens defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore isn't practicing today after suffering a left hamstring injury toward the end of a minicamp practice Tuesday.

As veteran cornerback Aaron Ross covered receivers Tuesday during his minicamp tryout with the Ravens, the former New York Giants starter quickly realized how long it's been since he's played football.

Veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, nose tackle Haloti Ngata and defensive end Chris Canty are attending the Ravens' mandatory minicamp after being absent from all of the organized team activities.

The Ravens cut wide receiver Aaron Mellette and outside linebacker Adrian Hamilton today in advance of a mandatory minicamp that starts today at team headquarters.

Still looking for cornerback depth, the Ravens will give former first-round pick and Super Bowl champion Aaron Ross a look this week, according to the player.

The Ravens continue to monitor the veteran cornerback market and are among the teams that have reached out to former Pro Bowl selection Brandon Flowers since he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, according to a source.

The conversations between coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome about the Ravens' roster have brought them to a conclusion.