Training camps around the NFL are opening up as they prepare for the 2019 season. While the Baltimore Ravens lost quite a few impact players this offseason in one of the roughest free-agency periods in franchise history, the team is still expected to be among the best in the league this year.
Baltimore finds themselves bridging the gap well between players still on their rookie contracts and some high-caliber veterans. Though there’s clearly a youth movement happening as the Ravens enter the next era of their franchise, Baltimore added a few older players to bolster some important positions in their schemes.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire watched a lot of film this offseason and created a list of the 100 best players in the NFL right now. The Ravens find four of their players made the cut. They present a good mix of younger and older players the team has put together to create a core for now and the future.
We’ll start with the lowest-rated Ravens player and move our way up to the highest.
81: CB Marlon Humphrey
Humphrey is one of the league’s bright spots at cornerback. After two seasons of steadily improved play, Humphrey is considered to be one of the best outside cornerbacks in the league.
He’s able to come up and press receivers or hang back in zone coverage. His athleticism, instincts and fundamentals all blend together to create one of the few true lockdown corners in the NFL.
“Equal parts athlete and technician, Humphrey should continue to rise on lists like these,” Farrar wrote.
Though he’s not ranked very highly in Farrar’s list, he’s a player that many expect to continue to improve and potentially break out as he enters his third season.
67: T Ronnie Stanley
Stanley is a bit underrated around the league. He’s one of the top left tackles in the game but his name rarely comes up when people put together those types of lists. Yet, his consistent and solid play both as a run blocker and on passing plays makes him a great foundation for quarterback Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s run-heavy offense.
“No matter the play, Stanley comes to it with great mobility out of the snap and tremendous upper-body strength that allows him to deal with premier edge rushers snap after snap,” Farrar wrote.
According to PFF, Stanley allowed just two sacks last season. More impressively, he allowed just 17 total pressures last year on 539 pass-blocking snaps. His 98.2 efficiency ranks second in the league among all tackles with at least 364 pass-blocking snaps.
It’s just one of the reasons Baltimore invested in Stanley, picking up his fifth-year option this offseason.
66: S Earl Thomas
The Ravens let go of safety Eric Weddle as part of their youth movement. But some moves in the AFC North forced Baltimore to invest a great deal of money in Thomas. While that money could have gone to another position — like outside linebacker — Thomas immediately makes the Ravens’ already impressive secondary even more deadly.
Though Thomas has some question marks given his recent injury history, he produces when he’s on the field both as a ball-hawking safety and big hitter.
“It’s a relatively safe bet based on performance, as Thomas still has the intensity, field awareness and demonic speed to shut down just about any intermediate-to-deep route and the closing acceleration to negate shorter passes and runs as he blasts downfield,” Farrar noted.
If Thomas can stay healthy and on the field this season, he’ll almost assuredly be worth his large contract. In spite of missing 19 games over the last three seasons, Thomas still has seven interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He’s also stout in run defense, earning no lower than a 71.5 grade from PFF over the last five years.
58: CB Brandon Carr
Farrar considers Carr “underrated” and for good reason. Even Ravens fans have never been big on Carr. Yet, he’s been one of the most consistent pieces of Baltimore’s defense over the last two years when used properly.
At 33 years old, Carr doesn’t quite have the ability to cover deep like he used to. But he’s a tactician on short and intermediate throws with the experience, instincts and enough physical prowess to be a danger to undercut a pass for a big play.
Farrar was impressed with how Carr continues to play tight coverage at his age.
“The 33-year-old veteran diagnoses routes as well as anyone in the business, and he’s still outstanding in short-to-intermediate coverage because he’s so good with his feet off the line of scrimmage, and in matching quick, angular routes.”
Though Baltimore’s fans have criticized Carr for a few busted deep plays that ultimately weren’t really his fault, it’s hard to be upset with the Ravens’ signing. At a position where Baltimore has had little luck keeping players healthy, Carr has been a standout. He’s yet to miss a single game in 11 seasons and he’s been productive at the same time.
In just two seasons with the Ravens, Carr has brought down six interceptions. That’s something the Dallas Cowboys wished they could have gotten from him in his final three years with the team (just one interception over that time span).
Carr might be pushed out of his starting role this season by the up-and-coming Humphrey. But he’s still a huge part of what Baltimore wants to do on defense and gives them quite a bit of flexibility in coverage.
