Ravens Will Be Creative With Their Secondary
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There was speculation that the Ravens would trade safety Chuck Clark when they selected Kyle Hamilton in the first round of the NFL draft.
However, expect Clark, Hamilton, and newly-signed Marcus Williams to play key roles with the team.
New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is going to move the versatile Hamilton around, putting him in the box, matching him up with opposing tight ends and playing center field.
Clark is a steely veteran that brings toughness to the defense and has worn the green dot to relay defensive plays. Baltimore will continue to rely on Clark to keep the secondary organized.
"Chuck is going to play a lot of football, just like – let me tell you – all three of those safeties, plus," coach John Harbaugh said. "We’ve got Geno [Stone]; we’ve also got Tony Jefferson II; we’ve got some guys. But I consider Chuck to be a starter, and we’ll see how it goes, as far as when they’re on the field, situationally.”
Last year for the New Orleans Saints, Williams had a career-high 74 tackles with two interceptions and eight passes defensed. He was also solid in coverage and is an effective hitter.
Williams is only 25 years old and he should be able to help create turnovers, which is an area of focus for the Ravens.
“I think there’s a lot of talent," Williams said about the Ravens' secondary. "I think that everyone here works well together. You guys can see it out here, we can see it. We have to keep building, keep stacking days and stacking practices in the film room, on the field. All that comes into play when we start that game.”
Baltimore has a pair of former All-Pro cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. Both of those players suffered season-ending injuries last year, but they are expected to return healthy.
MacDonald carries a 30 percent blitz rate, which will be a much different Ravens defense than under Don Martindale who blitzed 50 percent of the time.
The Ravens are going to need the secondary to make plays.
