Ravens Secondary: Bidding for Best in PFF Rankings?
With the modern NFL being such a pass-happy league, being able to defend against the air game is absolutely critical.
It's no coincidence that cornerback, and safety to a lesser extent, are some of the most valuable positions in the league today. Teams are willing to pay top dollar to ensure that their secondaries can defend against the pass. As the game continues to evolve, the secondary will likely become even more important.
In that sense, the Baltimore Ravens seem to be ahead of the game. The Ravens have assembled a very strong secondary, from home-grown talent like cornerback Marlon Humphrey to free-agent pickups such as safety Marcus Williams. That strong unit earned some recognition from PFF, earning the No. 5 spot on the outlet's secondary rankings with potential to climb even higher.
"The Ravens secondary struggled for parts of the early season but ended the campaign as the NFL's 10th-highest-graded unit," PFF writes. "That slow start was to be expected, given the new pieces and new defensive coordinator, but Humphrey and company will be tough to pass on this year now that they've had a full year to play together.
"[Safety Kyle] Hamilton earned the highest grade of any safety in the NFL in 2022, while Humphrey was reliable as ever. This could end up being the best unit in the league by the end of the year."
PFF is right that the Ravens' secondary took time to gel last season. The low point came in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns. As the season went on, though, Baltimore's secondary steadily improved. The Ravens ranked No. 25 in pass defense in 2022, allowing 232.2 yards per game, but that's not indicative of how they played at the end of the season.
The secondary may take some time to gel again this season, as cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is a new addition and fellow corner Brandon Stephens adjusts to a larger role. Once the unit has found its footing, though, the sky seems to be the limit for it.
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