The Baltimore Ravens have had many players step up in the wake up absences to players all over their roster. A few positional groups that have been hit harder than others include at running back, on the offensive line, and in the secondary, where the team has had to shuffle players around and figure out the best combinations for them with the personnel that they have available.
One of the players who has stepped up in the secondary is rookie defensive back Brandon Stephens. When asked about the third-round pick, Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale said that the team has been “really pleased” with him.
“We’ve been really pleased with him. And he’s just another chess piece that we can add to our defense, and [we can] move him around and do different things with him. He’s been picking it up really well – the different places that we put him – and he’s gotten better every day, and that’s what you ask of him.”
Stephens had a team-high 11 tackles in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts as he filled in for injured safety DeShon Elliott. He also did a good job filling in for Elliott in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. He is a versatile player who can do a lot of different things for the Ravens’ defense, and hopefully he can continue to build on a rather strong start to his rookie season.
