If you’ve taken a look on social media over the last few years, you’ve likely seen fans bashing Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. While Smith’s injury history and lack of availability over his career have been a point of contention among fans, especially over the last three years, he’s been an underrated part of Baltimore’s defense as well. With the Ravens re-signing Smith early to a one-year deal, the team is admitting it as well.
There’s no doubt Smith is in the twilight years of his career. At 32 years old, Smith doesn’t have the same athleticism that made him such a premier prospect when Baltimore selected him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. But as we’ve seen from players like Terrell Suggs and Eric Weddle, replacing that physical talent with years of experience can keep players near the top of their position group as long as a team knows how to utilize them.
This year, Smith’s role has been reduced, as has his playing time. He’s only started five games, playing 44% of the defensive snaps thus far. With stars like Marlon Humphrey emerging and the team trading for Marcus Peters last season, Smith’s role on defense was bound to change regardless of how healthy he was and even how well he played. But don’t mistake that for a drop in play as Smith is having one of his better seasons. In fact, statistically, he’s playing better ball than Humphrey and Peters this year.
Smith has been targeted 36 times this season, giving up just 18 completions (50%) for 118 yards (6.6 yards-per-completion), no touchdowns, and a 57.4 passer rating when thrown at. By comparison, Humphrey and Peters have allowed passer ratings of 85.1 and 86.4 respectively when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. Smith has a 74.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, while Peters is at 63.5 and Humphrey is only a little ahead at 76.4. It all might not add up to a Pro Bowl nod for Smith, but it does go to show just how well he’s actually playing.
While I’m not going to say Smith is better than either Peters or Humphrey, the stats point to him winning far more often than he loses. Part of that has been because of the change in his role this season. Instead of being matched up against top wide receivers, Smith has been primarily going against tight ends and running backs while acting as a floater and filling in where necessary elsewhere. It’s a pretty genius move by coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Don Martindale, maximizing Smith’s smarts without often exposing him to guys that can beat him physically for big gains. But credit goes to Smith as well for handling what can only be seen as a demotion and excelling in his new job.
Of course, Smith’s injury history has popped up once again this season, earning fresh ire from the fan base. He’s frequently been on the injury report and has missed four games due to various ailments. But when in the lineup, Smith’s presence brings the entire secondary together and there’s little question they’ve played better defense in most of those games. And with Smith hopefully getting healthy at the end of the season, his return for the playoffs could be exactly what the Ravens need to win their first postseason game since 2014. At the least, it’s easy to call Baltimore bringing him back for another year at a very cap-friendly price a massive win for the team.
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