The Baltimore Ravens have been transparent about their desire to re-sign cornerback Jimmy Smith this offseason. And now they’ve pulled it off. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the team’s Twitter account, the Ravens are re-signing Smith to a one-year contract worth up to $6 million.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta said he wanted to re-sign Smith but expected him to evaluate his options on the open market. That’s exactly what Smith did and for a while it looked as though he would get offers well out of Baltimore’s price range. However, recent deals for cornerbacks apparently lowered the cost enough to get a deal done.
When healthy, Smith has been a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback for the Ravens. The problem there is Smith hasn’t been able to stay healthy throughout his career. Over just the last four years, Smith has missed 20 games due to injuries and suspensions. Still, he’s been productive over that time as well, snagging six interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), defensing 48 passes, and securing a fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown).
Though Smith missed seven games last season, he allowed just 28-of-50 passes to be completed his way (56%) for 329 yards and no touchdowns. Quarterbacks posted a paltry 67.8 passer rating when targeting Smith in 2019.
While Smith might be beyond his starting days, especially with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey in front of him on the depth chart, the Ravens love having experienced depth at cornerback. Smith provides Baltimore the level of continuity and experience they appreciate in the secondary while potentially being able to finish out his career with the same team that drafted him.
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