Anthony Averett Officially Gone From Ravens, Heads to AFC West

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens lost one of their cornerbacks to free agency.

Anthony Averett reached a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to The Athletic.

It's uncertain whether the Ravens made Averett an offer, but the team needs to strengthen its depth at cornerback.

The Ravens also parted ways with Tavon Young and Chris Westry. They are two players the team would consider re-signing.

Baltimore has already been active in free agency, signing outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith, safety Marcus Williams and right tackle Morgan Moses. All three players satisfy areas of need for the Ravens.

Averett was thrust into the starting lineup when Marcus Peters suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp.

He started a career-high 14 games and played 90 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Averett had three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. He allowed a 55% completion rate and 77.5 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.

Former Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale said Averett had "Pro-Bowl potential."

Baltimore can help fill the void of Averett's departure in this year's NFL draft, perhaps with the 14th overall pick.

Two playmakers that have been linked to the Ravens include Cincinatti's Sauce Gardner and Washington's Tren McDuffie. Both of those players should be able to make an immediate impact.

The free-agency market is mostly thin for quarterbacks this offseason, so the Ravens also might be inclined to sign a veteran that is released by another team before training camp or at the start of next season.