Free-agent cornerback Jimmy Smith and defensive back-linebacker Anthony Levine Sr. have re-signed with the Ravens on one-year deals that will fortify one of the NFL's top secondaries.
Smith's contract extension, announced by the team, is worth up to $6 million in 2020, according to media reports. He became one of the top cornerbacks available last week after he could not reach a contract extension with the Ravens. General manager Eric DeCosta said last month that Smith, 31, wanted to assess his value in free agency, which he'd never reached during his nine NFL seasons in Baltimore.
Levine, a special teams staple and versatile defender, has played in all 112 games over the past seven seasons. He had 14 tackles and three quarterback hits last year while leading the team in special teams snaps (310, or 71.6% total). His deal has not been confirmed by the team but is a "done deal," according to ESPN.
Smith, the No. 27 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, has appeared in 107 games and made 83 starts for the Ravens. With the retirement of guard Marshal Yanda, only punter Sam Koch and long snapper Morgan Cox have played for the franchise longer among active players.
When healthy, Smith's been one of the NFL's better cornerbacks, a long and fluid talent unafraid of press coverage. But injuries have been a near-constant bugaboo. He sprained his ankle his rookie season, underwent sports hernia surgery in 2012, suffered a season-ending Lisfranc (foot) injury in 2014, had a back injury and high-ankle sprain in 2016, tore his Achilles tendon in 2017 and sprained his MCL in the first game of 2019.
In 2018, Smith also was suspended four games after the NFL found evidence of "threatening and emotionally abusive behaviors" toward a former girlfriend that "showed a pattern of improper conduct." He took full responsibility for his behavior, which he acknowledged was wrong.
The Ravens have stuck with Smith through it all, signing him to a four-year, $48 million extension in 2015 and absorbing a team-high $15.9 million contract hit last season. "We love having those guys back there, and I expect those guys to play at the very highest level in the National Football League this year," coach John Harbaugh said before last season of Smith and Brandon Carr, the team's oldest cornerbacks.
In nine games last year, including five starts, Smith had an interception, six passes defended and a sack. In coverage, he allowed a passer rating of just 67.8, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Even with the development of Marlon Humphrey and the arrival of Marcus Peters, two All-Pro cornerbacks, Smith played more than 80% of the team's defensive snaps in all but three games after his injury.
"Obviously, the beginning sucked for me," Smith told the team website last season. "But being back ... obviously, there wasn't a lot of pressure for me right away, because we got Marcus. So I kind of eased back in and found my spot and my groove."
The return of Levine, who turns 33 on Friday, gives the Ravens important depth elsewhere in the secondary. While Earl Thomas III and Chuck Clark are the team's unquestioned starters at safety, Levine has shown the ability to play in the box as a run stopper and blitzer and cover receivers downfield.
