'Soak at Corner!' Baltimore Ravens DB Brandon Stephens Surpassing Expectations
The Baltimore Ravens defense has been one of the best in football and third-year cornerback Brandon Stephens has been an underrated member of that unit.
The UCLA (2016-2018) and SMU (2019-2020) product has already set career highs for interceptions (2) and passes defended (9) this season for a Ravens defense that's allowed the second-fewest yards (273.9) and points (15.6) per game.
When Baltimore initially drafted Stephens, he began his career at safety, then was moved to cornerback after his rookie season in 2021. Ravens pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt noted Stephens' versatility and how that led to him making the position change in his first year.
"He has so much ability that you can move him to so many different places, but selfishly as a coach, [you say], 'Brandon [Stephens] can do this,' and 'Brandon can do that,' so you always move him around, but this year, he had an opportunity just [to] soak at corner," Hewitt said. "The reps and the opportunity to be there, just playing corner the entire time, and the injuries that we've had there, we didn't have to move him around."
Brandon Stephens has 55 tackles this season.
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The reps were especially important for Stephens, who didn't play defensive back in college until he got to SMU. Stephens, 25, was a three-star running back in high school and played that position at UCLA before moving to the other side of the ball after he transferred.
Settling in at cornerback paid dividends, as he's played 99 percent of the Ravens' snaps on defense in his third season as a pro.
"The reps have been helpful for him, just playing one spot the entire time," Hewitt said. "Now, he's processing things a lot faster, and he's playing at a high level. He's always had that ability."
Even with more reps at cornerback, Hewitt didn't expect this kind of jump from Stephens in his third season.
"I'd be lying in saying I could have foreseen him playing as well as he has, but he's always had that kind of ability," Hewitt said. "Again, because we moved him around so much, now, he's had the opportunity to really soak at the position, and his confidence is just growing. Now, he realizes what he can do and what he can't do when he gets out on the field being able to match the best wide receivers in the league and go out there and go play."
