Tag: Anthony Averett

Ravens CB Anthony Averett to miss several weeks with shoulder fracture

Baltimore Ravens reserve cornerback Anthony Averett fractured his shoulder against the Philadelphia Eagles and will miss extended time.

The Baltimore Ravens escaped Philadelphia with a win over the Eagles on Sunday but they added a few new injuries to the list. Both running back Mark Ingram and cornerback Anthony Averett left the game with their respective injuries. However, Averett’s prognosis is a little more grim come Monday.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Averett suffered a shoulder fracture in Week 6’s game against the Eagles and will miss around five to six weeks because of the injury. For an already thin secondary following the season-ending injury to slot cornerback Tavon Young, Averett’s injury is one Baltimore can’t really afford.

The Ravens entered the 2020 regular season with just five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster. With Young’s injury, more was already being asked of elder statesman Jimmy Smith. Now with Averett’s injury added to the mix, it’ll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Don Martindale fills that void. Baltimore had already brought up cornerback Khalil Dorsey from the practice squad and could look to do the same with veteran Nate Hairston to help round out the unit over the next few weeks.

Of course, the Ravens could be even bolder and look to pull off a trade. The NFL’s Nov. 3 trade deadline is quickly approaching and Baltimore has been far more aggressive at remedying their issues under new general manager Eric DeCosta. While a trade seems unlikely, the Ravens clearly value depth in the secondary and could look to upgrade their third cornerback spot.

While Averett’s injury is a concern for Baltimore moving forward, their other injuries are far more minor according to Harbaugh. It appears guys like Ingram, Derek Wolfe, and Tyre Phillips could all be back following the Ravens’ Week 7 bye in order to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.

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Ravens CB Anthony Averett suffers shoulder injury, questionable to return vs. Eagles

Update: The Ravens have ruled Averett as “questionable” to return to the game with a shoulder injury, per the broadcast. The Baltimore Ravens’ defense is dominating the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles. But at the start of the second …

Update: The Ravens have ruled Averett as “questionable” to return to the game with a shoulder injury, per the broadcast.

The Baltimore Ravens’ defense is dominating the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles. But at the start of the second quarter, cornerback Anthony Averett was shaken up on a punt and is now headed to the locker room with trainers, according to Penn Live’s Aaron Kasinitz. It’s unclear exactly the nature of Averett’s injury or the severity but heading to the locker room is not a great indication.

If Averett misses the remainder of this game, that will leave the Ravens pretty thin at cornerback. Baltimore kept just five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster to start this season and saw slot corner Tavon Young head to injured reserve earlier in the season with a knee injury. Averett has gotten a huge jump in playing time due to injuries, playing 87% of the defensive snaps in Week 4 against the Washington Football Team before playing just 11 snaps last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Baltimore’s defense has been smothering Philadelphia throughout this game. Currently, Eagles quarterback has completed just two of his seven pass attempts for three yards and a 39.6 passer rating, getting sacked three times already and fumbling the ball. Philadelphia’s rushing attack isn’t faring much better, rushing six times for just 15 yards.

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Marlon Humphrey, other Ravens to rotate into slot to fill void left by Tavon Young’s injury

According to cornerback Marlon Humphrey, the Baltimore Ravens will use him and others to rotate into the slot after Tavon Young’s injury

For the second consecutive season, cornerback Tavon Young will not be in a Baltimore Ravens uniform and helmet against the Kansas City Chiefs. Young suffered a knee injury in Week 2 against the Houston Texans that is believed to be season-ending. It’s a huge blow to Baltimore’s secondary but one it’s used to overcoming.

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was quick to note just how big of a loss Young’s injury is to the defense.

“Losing ‘Tay’ [Tavon Young] was rough,” Humphrey said Wednesday. “We haven’t gone on the field yet to see what adjustments exactly we’re going to make. We’re still trying to figure out some of the kinks and the different things without having ‘Tay,’ but Tavon is not really a guy you can really replace. We call him a ‘Pitbull,’ just because he’s small, but he has a big bite.”

When healthy, Young is one of the better slot defenders in the league. It’s the reason why Eric DeCosta gave Young a three-year contract extension as one of his first moves as the new general manager after replacing Ozzie Newsome. At the time, Young’s extension made him the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league, something that was quickly surpassed later that offseason.

However, that gamble hasn’t really paid off for the Ravens with Young missing all of the 2019 season due to a neck injury and slated to miss 14 regular-season games this season with a knee injury. In total, Young will have missed 47-of-80 games due to injury over five years by the end of this season if he heads to injured reserve.

Baltimore overcame Young’s absence last season by moving Humphrey to the slot and adding Marcus Peters via a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. Though Humphrey was playing out of position, he still impressed enough to earn his first Pro Bowl nomination. This season, defensive coordinator Don Martindale could choose to rotate a few players into the slot depending on matchups. At least that’s what Humphrey pointed to.

“Like I said, we haven’t figured out the gameplan yet, but I’ll be in there. I think some other guys will be in there,” Humphrey continued. “It’ll be rotating all around, so I’ll be outside, I’ll be inside. You just never know who’s going to be in there. It just depends on the formation, who they have in, and what package the coaches feel like is best once it all gets settled down and we finish up the gameplan.”

That would fit with what our expectations were following Young’s injury. Third-year cornerback Anthony Averett is likely to get a significant boost to his snap count, being the primary replacement. But if the Ravens face a group of larger receivers, it might make sense to slide Jimmy Smith inside instead. Of course, Baltimore has safeties that could come down into that role as well, with Nigel Warrior and Geno Stone having the speed to play more coverage. With Martindale at the helm of this defense, expecting the unexpected might just be the wisest thing, and as we’ve seen already this season, outside linebacker Matthew Judon has dropped back into coverage a bunch.

The best thing would be having Young starting in the slot. But with some creativity and a wealth of talent in the secondary, the Ravens can call on everyone to step up and make it work.

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Ravens in good health as they go into regular-season mode

As the Baltimore Ravens finish up training camp, the team is in good health and should have everyone on the practice field next week.

The Baltimore Ravens are just about ready to flick the switch from offseason mode to the regular-season version. While there are still two weeks until the Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns to kick off Week 1 of the regular season, training camp is nearly over. That means they’ll go from getting everyone up to speed and in game shape, and instead turn their focus on preparing for the Browns.

With the regular season so close you can nearly taste it, Baltimore is in pretty good shape. Though there are a few players dealing with some nagging injuries and the Ravens are being a little extra cautious with some others, coach John Harbaugh said everyone should be practicing next week.

This is great news after the Ravens have seen a few key players miss some of training camp due to injury. Quarterback Lamar Jackson — the biggest name on the team — missed a few practices with a sort-tissue injury but returned to action earlier this week. Cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Marcus Peters, and right guard D.J. Fluker have also missed recent practices due to undisclosed injuries.

If Baltimore is able to get their entire starting lineup onto the field for Week 1, that will be a great sign for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. But more importantly, with only a handful of practices remaining before the Ravens have to trim down the roster to 53 players, having everyone on the field should give Baltimore a chance to build the best possible regular-season roster.

It’s been a tough offseason but we’re nearly done and the Ravens are heading in the right direction.

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6 Ravens that could be traded this offseason

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t been shy about trading players to improve their roster. They could do it again this offseason

The Baltimore Ravens have been aggressive in getting what they want and managing their roster under general manager Eric DeCosta. Though the Ravens finished last season at 14-2 and could likely still be one of the best teams in the NFL if they kept their roster exactly the same, expect DeCosta and Baltimore to make some moves this offseason to create the best roster possible. While everyone has been looking at what players the Ravens could pick up in free agency and the draft, it could be who they get rid of that becomes even more important.

Baltimore hasn’t been shy about jettisoning players for draft picks or as a package to acquire a player over the last year. After taking over for Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta traded away several young players to ultimately set the team up for the future. Offensive linemen Jermaine Eluemunor and Alex Lewis were shipped off, as was kicker Kaare Vedvik. And linebacker Kenny Young was a part of Baltimore’s portion in the Marcus Peters trade in the middle of the season.

To think DeCosta is completely finished or wouldn’t trade players away at this point is pretty foolish. But which Ravens players could be on the trading block? I took a look at the roster and picked out a few players that Baltimore would at least entertain the idea of trading away for the right price.

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

TE Hayden Hurst

Hurst is an obvious choice given how stacked Baltimore is at the position. While Hurst has a valuable role in the Ravens’ offense, he could arguably be called their third tight end behind Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle, making him seemingly up for grabs.

Hurst is still on his rookie deal which is really where a trade makes the most sense. For a team that needs a starter at tight end, Hurst’s low cap hit is enticing. And with a fifth-year option still on the table, Hurst is effectively signed through the 2022 season, giving a team three more years as a cost-effective option.

Even though he’s buried on the depth chart, Hurst has done enough to point to him being a successful blocking and receiving tight end as a starter in an offense that would use him well. When combined with his rookie contract, it’s easy to see how teams would be calling DeCosta and asking what it would take to pull off a deal. The biggest hurdle here would likely be Baltimore’s asking price considering his value to the team in spite of his stats.

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3 Ravens that regressed in 2019

While the Baltimore Ravens saw a number of players step up their game a handful actually got worse in 2019.

The Baltimore Ravens placed 13 players in the Pro Bowl and had a franchise-best 14-2 record. A team doesn’t do that without nearly everyone stepping up and playing great football. However, every team ends up having some players that slide backwards instead of improving and the Ravens are no exception to the rule.

In spite of so many players stepping up last season, these three players regressed in 2019 for Baltimore and leave them with some questions.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

LB Patrick Onwuasor:

Onwuasor entered the 2019 season as Baltimore’s answer for the departure of C.J. Mosley. It only took a few weeks for the Ravens to realize they were in trouble and replace him with mid-season free agents. That’s a pretty huge regression that now makes it difficult to see Baltimore re-signing him as a pending free agent.

The Ravens’ defense was often out of position and suffered blown coverages in the few games Onwuasor was given the green-dot helmet (the helmet for communicating with the coaching staff). When it cycled elsewhere, Baltimore’s defense began to tighten up.

After coming off a 2018 season that saw Onwuasor start 12 games, notch 59 combined tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, three passes defended and an interception, last season was a disaster. Onwuasor only started six games, posting 64 combined tackles and three sacks and seeing his defensive snap counts plummet after Week 5 while getting more snaps on special teams in the final eight games he played.

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