The one consistent strength of the Baltimore Ravens this season has been their secondary, as it should. Stacked with Pro Bowl talent across the board, Baltimore’s pass defense has been one of the best in the league this season. But it took yet another hit, this time a massive one, on Monday when cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19.
It’s unclear exactly how long Humphrey will be out on the COVID-19/Reserve list. But with the NFL’s protocols helping define timelines, it’s likely Humphrey will miss a minimum of Week 9, with the potential to miss even more time depending on circumstances.
Losing Humphrey at all is a big problem for the Ravens. Humphrey was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019 and had actually stepped his game up even further in 2020, cementing himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL right now. As Baltimore has found out in trying to replace right guard Marshal Yanda, restoring that type of production immediately is wishful thinking at best. But the Ravens face an even bigger challenge when looking at how thin they are on the depth chart.
Baltimore entered this season with just five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster and almost instantly regretted that decision. Cornerbacks Tavon Young and Anthony Averett joined Iman Marshall on injured reserve in the first half of this season, causing the Ravens to dip into their practice squad to just have enough warm bodies to play each week. They entered Week 8 with just four cornerbacks on the 53-man roster after signing Khalil Dorsey in early October. They called up Terrell Bonds from the practice squad as a gameday elevation Sunday for the second and final time he’s eligible for it.
With Humphrey now out, Baltimore is not only down their top cornerback but whatever depth they might have had previously. The Ravens have a grand total of just three cornerbacks on the 53-man roster at this moment, meaning they really need to add another two for at least this week.
The most likely scenario is signing Bonds to the 53-man roster and elevating veteran cornerback Nate Hairston from the practice squad in Week 9. Marcus Peters would retain his role with Jimmy Smith joining him as the other starting outside cornerback. But with the NFL trade deadline up tomorrow, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta could be pushed to add another option that way as well.
Baltimore was already hurting at cornerback prior to Humphrey’s diagnosis, even if the coaching staff was able to create a patchwork group to play well each week. With Humphrey out, it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back for DeCosta, forcing him to remedy the issue with a low-cost trade the bring in another capable and experienced cornerback for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, with little cap space and a dwindling number of picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, that’s easier said than done.
Right now, the defense is Baltimore’s strongest asset but they already needed help at cornerback prior to this moment. With Humphrey out, the Ravens could either make some drastic moves to shore up a struggling depth chart or try and limp through a week or two. Either way, it’s not an ideal situation and will require the rest of the team to pick up the slack until Humphrey can return.
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