Tag: Geno Stone

Lamar Jackson describes the Ravens’ defense as a ‘throwback’

Lamar Jackson describes the Ravens’ defense as a ‘throwback’

The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2023 season with one of the league’s top defenses and one of the best in the franchise’s history. The unit will be looking to keep the momentum going this season as Zach Orr takes over the role of defensive coordinator from Mike Macdonald.

Reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was asked what he has seen from Orr’s defense so far in training camp.

“Man, those guys [on defense] look like the throwback Ravens defense,” Jackson said. “[It’s] bloodshed, a lot of smack talk and a lot of big hits. We’re seeing it all from our defense. Guys are actually tackling out there – I don’t think we should be – but we’re looking good. I’m loving it.”

Alongside replacing Macdonald, the Ravens will have several new contributors on defense attempting to replicate the production of players such as inside linebacker Patrick Queen, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, and free safety Geno Stone, who all departed in free agency. Second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson is in line to get the first shot next to Roquan Smith at inside linebacker. At the same time, veteran safety Eddie Jackson was recently signed and could fill the role left by Stone on the backend of the defense. Replacing Clowney’s production will likely come from multiple sources, such as outside linebacker and along the defensive line.

“I believe iron sharpens iron,” Jackson said. “We’ve got one of the best defenses in this league. We’re talking trash to those guys, [and] those guys are talking trash to us. We [are] just going after each other, [and] I believe that’s what builds a great team.“

Ravens DB Kyle Hamilton shares first impression of new teammate Eddie Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens added some needed depth at the safety position at the start of training camp by signing veteran Eddie Jackson. Jackson is known as a ballhawk from his time with the Chicago Bears and will have the chance to see the field …

The Baltimore Ravens added some needed depth at the safety position at the start of training camp by signing veteran Eddie Jackson. Jackson is known as a ballhawk from his time with the Chicago Bears and will have the chance to see the field frequently this season in place of Geno Stone, who departed in free agency to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.

All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton was asked about his first impression of Jackson.

“Well [in his] first practice, he went out there and got a pick-six, which was fire,” Hamilton said. “He’s a really cool dude. It’s always fun to hear him tell stories about college [at the University of Alabama] – [about] Marlon [Humphrey] and how wild he was; he’s kind of toned it down a little bit now. He’s another vet – we seem to do this all the time – just get these vets that come here and do so much for us during the season. It’s going to be so big for us to have him as a part of the team. With the other guys in the DB room – we’re just so deep in that room – we can never get tired, we can never have somebody that’s on the field that’s a liability. It’s just such a disadvantage for the offense to trot out the same people and have us rotating guys. I think it’s really special to have him here.”

Hamilton and Marcus Williams will serve as the team’s two starting safeties, but considering how much Hamilton is moved around the field, there will be plenty of opportunities for Jackson to play on the backend of the defense this season.

Should the Ravens have interest in signing former Bears safety Eddie Jackson?

The Baltimore Ravens are rumored to have interest in signing free agent safety Eddie Jackson and he’ll visit the team on Wednesday

Over the years, the Baltimore Ravens have been known to make a late-in-the-cycle free agent signing or two. Typically, those signings are very astute, filling a positional need.

So the rumors swirling around two-time Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson fit the theme.

Ravens Realm reports that the former Chicago Bears defensive back is rumored to meet with club representatives on Wednesday. If this move is going to happen, it could escalate quickly.

After all, veterans are required to report to camp on Saturday.

Jackson played in Chicago from 2017-2023, making first-team All-Pro in 2018. Current Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was his teammate in Chicago that season and for the next four seasons.

Smith can provide a proverbial “reference” in this job recruiting process, though Jackson is not the same player he was in 2018.

He is now over 30, and last season, his struggles were clear to anyone paying attention. Given the high salary he was due, it was easy to see why the Bears jettisoned him.

We were just not going to get a return on investment from him this season. However, Jackson makes sense as a pre-start of training camp, signing to fill depth in the secondary.

Safety is not Baltimore’s top position of need right now, but they need depth there.

Jackson would certainly provide that, and if he can be signed on a cost-effective deal, this would prove to be an astute signing.

Jamal Adams agrees to deal with Titans after free agent interest from Ravens

Former Jets and Seahawks safety Jamal Adams agrees to a 1-year deal with Tennessee Titans

Geno Stone’s departure to Cincinnati has left Baltimore with a void at safety, and a once-dominant veteran won’t be filling the role.

Turron Davenport reports that former Seattle and New York Jets star safety Jamal Adams is signing with the Titans after prior free-agent interest from Baltimore.

Adams played in just ten games for the Seahawks over the past two years because of injuries after developing into a star during his tenure with the Jets.

The Ravens currently have Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams at the top of their safety depth chart but have no true NFL experience on the depth beyond that.

Geno Stone details his fit as communicator within Bengals defense

Geno Stone aims to help end the defense’s communication woes from last season.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone is a big part of the plan for the team in 2024.

In fact, Stone’s arrival via free agency is one of the big reasons defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has seen proof that last year’s communication issues have already been resolved.

Recent comments from Stone at least partially explain why.

“I’m a guy that’s always been on the right page with the guys around me. Especially the coaches,” Stone said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “No matter what the call is, what the game plan is, I make sure I talk it out. Make sure I’m in the right position at the right time. That’s who I am and how I play.”

It didn’t take long after Stone’s arrival to hear that he was already learning the defense from Vonn Bell. And his fit — a rangy safety sort of like Jessie Bates — means he’ll start right away.

If the attention to detail that already had Stone as a sought-after free agent combines with Anarumo’s comments, the new-look secondary in Cincinnati could experience a big leap in 2024.

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Bengals’ free agency signings make ‘most overlooked additions’ list

The Bengals have two underrated signings worth watching.

The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t the headline act of free agency by any means, yet they received plenty of praise for signings, too.

Two of those — safety Geno Stone and running back Zack Moss — could have a massive impact on the team next year.

That’s the summary of both guys making the top 10 most overlooked additions of the offseason list from Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.

The blurb on Moss, who looked great in Jonathan Taylor’s place last year, says it all:

Moss’ presence in Cincinnati won’t garner as much early national attention as Henry on the Baltimore Ravens or Barkley on the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Moss could have a major impact on the Bengals’ 2024 campaign, and perhaps the AFC playoff picture as a whole.

Another wrinkle to this — Moss’ skill set won’t get the credit it deserves for setting up sophomore breakout candidate Chase Brown nicely, either.

And when it comes to Stone, coordinator Lou Anarumo has already said the communication issues that hurt the unit last year have already been resolved. Part of that is his learning quickly from Vonn Bell. Most of it is his rangy playstyle that makes him an ideal Jessie Bates replacement (a year late).

If it goes the way the Bengals hope, both guys will remain overlooked in terms of headlines while helping to change the team’s fortunes dramatically.

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Bengals’ Geno Stone named one of NFL’s top safeties

Huge praise for new Bengals safety Geno Stone.

Praise continues to flow for new Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone.

A signing aimed at fixing a secondary that allowed tons of explosives last year while struggling with communication, Stone is technically a Jessie Bates replacement one year after the fact.

In other words, Bengals fans will like to hear that Stone is one of the 11 best safeties in the NFL in the mind of Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:

He had 50 solo tackles and 13 stops, but that wasn’t his game — Stone was there to make sure that Macdonald could deploy his other safeties (including the No. 1 player on our list) in other interesting ways. And as a deep-third defender, Stone allowed 28 catches on 42 targets for 197 yards, 145 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, seven interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 53.5.

We could throw out more basic stats and snap counts, too, but the point with Stone that makes him a really appealing fit in Cincinnati is simple — his versatility opens up the defense for other players and coordinator Lou Anarumo himself.

With Stone’s skill set and Vonn Bell back to help run a defense he already understands, the goal (while Dax Hill competes at corner) is super obvious.

No wonder Stone and Bell have already been working together.

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Zach Orr understands importance of Ravens finding a third safety to replace Geno Stone

Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr understands the importance of replacing safety Geno Stone in the team’s defense

The Baltimore Ravens have lost many defensive contributors over the course of the 2024 offseason. This was widely expected due to Baltimore’s cap situation and the sheer number of free agents, but the team feels confident in its plan to replace everyone who departed in free agency.

One of the players the Ravens didn’t retain was safety Geno Stone, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on a two-year deal. Baltimore defensive coordinator Zach Orr was asked about the importance of replacing Stone and said that the third safety spot could be filled by an in-house candidate.

“Yes, for sure. Obviously, with Kyle [Hamilton] being the ultimate chess piece, the third safety position is important. I feel like we have some great in-house candidates that [have been] working their butts off since Day One, so we’re excited. They had a good first three days of practice, so we’re excited to see where it goes. But yes, that position is important.”

The Ravens don’t have much safety depth outside of Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. They drafted Sanoussi Kane in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft and signed Beau Brade as an undrafted free agent, so they’ll either need to trust inexperience or sign a veteran.

Kyle Hamilton has high praise for Patrick Queen and Geno Stone following their departure from the Ravens

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton is happy for Patrick Queen and Geno Stone after they departed the team in free agency

The Baltimore Ravens knew their 2024 offseason would be eventful, especially when it came to their pending free agent class. The team lost many contributing players from their 2023 team, including inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone.

Despite losing so much talent, Baltimore still has plenty of other players who made the team’s defense what it was last season. One of those players is safety Kyle Hamilton, who said he’s happy for his former teammates about their paydays and new ventures with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.

“No, I still talk to Geno [Stone] a lot. I talk to ‘P.Q.’ [Patrick Queen] a little bit. But I mean, those guys, [I’m] super happy for them. Obviously, the teams [Bengals and Steelers] are a little weird – where they went to. But no, [I’m] super happy for them. Both got paid, and at the end of the day, they get the opportunity to take care of their family in ways that they couldn’t before. And rivalries are big around here, big in the NFL, but at the end of the day, we’re all striving to provide for our families and create a better life for ourselves and those around us that have brought us up. So, for them to have that opportunity, I don’t fault them.”

Hamilton will have plenty of opportunities to see his old teammates throughout the year, as Queen and Stone will play Baltimore twice each season, and they reside on AFC North teams. The Ravens feel confident in the players they have on their roster to replace the ones that left, with younger players on the docket to step up.

Bengals safety Geno Stone talks Joe Burrow’s injury last year

Geno Stone was on the other sideline when Joe Burrow got hurt last year.

New Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone was on the opposing side last year when Joe Burrow suffered his season-ending injury.

Naturally, that topic of conversation has come up with Stone this offseason as he works with Vonn Bell to learn the Bengals defense.

Speaking with Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News, Stone revealed that he didn’t even realize at first that Burrow was out of the game.

“For me, I just go out there and play my game, but we were on the sideline after that, and they were like, you know, Burrow’s done,” Stone said. “I felt bad for him. I saw him on the field after the game and you know, it sucks. Injuries suck in this league. So I felt bad for him. I went through that my first few years with Lamar (Jackson), where he was out, and it’s never good to lose your key quarterback.”

Now Stone is on the same sideline as Burrow and tasked with stepping into a Jessie Bates-styled role now that Dax Hill has switched positions to cornerback.

Considering the trouble he’s given Burrow (he picked off the Bengals passer last year, even) and the AFC North, it’s not hard to see why the front office prioritized him in free agency.

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