Report: Nigel Warrior Signs UFA Contract With Ravens
Tennessee senior Nigel Warrior didn't get drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he will have an opportunity to pursue an NFL career. Matt Zenitz of al.com is reporting that Warrior has signed with the Baltimore Ravens. For Warrior, whose father Dale Carter starred at Tennessee and then in the NFL, this is an opportunity to continue to follow in his father’s footsteps. Warrior is a balanced, all around safety that brings versatility and experience to an NFL roster. The roster he will be joining is one that is noted for excellent defense and for superb safeties in general. Warrior will join a Baltimore team that has a need at safety and aspirations of hoisting a Lombardi trophy.
Nigel Warrior arrived at Tennessee as one of the most highly rated players in the nation at his position, as well as the son of an all-time Volunteer great, when he came to Knoxville as part of the 2016 signing class. Warrior saw some action as a true freshman with the Vols in 2016, thanks to his talent and some injuries in the defensive backfield in front of him. While Warrior made some impact plays for Tennessee, as a freshman, the targeting rule and the ejection that comes with it cost Warrior valuable snaps, particularly on the road in a heartbreaking loss at Texas A&M. The 2017 season was the worst season in terms of wins and losses in Tennessee history. As bleak as the season was, Warrior was one of the line bright spots through the campaign for the Vols. He had a long interception return for a touchdown against Missouri, and proved on the field that he was a play making safety the Tennessee defense could count on.
After his strong 2017 season, and now playing under a coach known for his ability to develop defensive backs in Jeremy Pruitt, Warrior came into the 2018 season with high expectations. He even entered the season on the Thorpe Award Watch List, the award for the nation's top defensive back. Despite everything seeming to point to a big year for Warrior, he struggled through much of the 2018 season. The impact plays that he had made regularly as a sophomore were hard to come by, and he struggled in coverage and with assignments as a junior. The blow was a difficult one for a player that had showed so much promise and that had such tremendous talent. Warrior entered 2019 knowing that he needed a strong campaign to have a shot at the NFL. Early in the season, it seemed Warrior's junior struggles would carry over to his senior season, and then, a third of the way through the season, it was like a switch was flipped. For the last two-thirds of the season, Warrior was a defensive force. He had excellent grades against the run and pass, making sure tackles that resulted in short gains instead of touchdowns. He also showed the nose for the ball from early in his career, securing interceptions with long returns against Alabama and to get the Vols back in the game at Kentucky. Warrior was also playing clean assignment football when the Vols made their goal line stand in Lexington, forcing Lynn Bowden inside on a keeper by scraping outside and taking away his pitch man.
Warrior comes into a Baltimore locker room that has an ideal gamble in signing Warrior. The Ravens landed the experienced safety without having to spend a draft pick on him. That means their investment is minimal. It feels strange to talk about a Baltimore team needing help on defense, especially at safety, but that is precisely the situation the Ravens find themselves in. In Warrior, the Ravens have a player that, if he continues to play the way he did for the conclusion of his senior year, could be in the discussion to play or even start as a rookie by the end of the season. If he continues to struggle, the. Baltimore has a minimal investment in a project player they can develop with excellent upside. The deal feels like a win-win for Warrior and the Ravens.
