John Harbaugh Praises Ravens GM For Underrated Veteran Addition

Among the many attributes that make the Baltimore Ravens one of the best, most respected and successful teams year in and year out is their front office's knack for finding key contributors at well below market value.

They not only hit on draft picks and undrafted free agents annually, but manage to come up with some singles, doubles and the occasional homer when it comes to bargain shopping in free veteran agency. Seemingly, each year they add an experienced player or two at positions of need or sometimes even surplus who wind up filling vital roles on their respective sides of the ball or sometimes in multiple phases for a pivotal stretch and sometimes even most of, if not the whole season.

There are a few candidates who fit that description on this year's team who have been key to helping them dig themselves out of a 1-5 start, but the most impactful has been ninth-year veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

With All Pro Marlon Humphrey out after undergoing finger surgery last week, the 30-year-old was tasked with stepping up and making his fifth start of the season and went on to have his best game as a Raven to date in the team's 23-16 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

Awuzie was outstanding in coverage, leading the team with a season-high 3 pass breakups, tackled with physicality and finished as the Ravens' third-highest graded defender and overall player according to Pro Football Focus with a mark of 86.2. High-quality depth at cornerback is a tremendous asset and blessing to have, which is why head coach John Harbaugh made it a point to thank general manager Eric DeCosta for bringing him as one of the earliest members of their outside free agent class.

"I told Eric on the plane I think @ChidobeAwuzie might be his most underrated signing." pic.twitter.com/rd7r7dW59B
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 17, 2025

"I think [Awuzie has been] very important," Harbaugh said. "I told Eric [DeCosta] on the plane last night, I think that might be his most underrated signing [last offseason]. It's just a really big – [he has] really been a big signing for us. He's done great, and we knew he was a good player [because] we'd seen him over the years. I'd say [he is] even better than advertised. He's played really good football. He had a heck of a game [yesterday]."

Awuzie was the first of two notable veteran cornerbacks with checkered injury histories whom the Ravens signed between March and the start of training camp. He was released by the Tennessee Titans as a salary cap casualty just one year after signing a three-year deal worth $36 million, and 10 days later, DeCosta pounced and inked him to a one-year deal worth just $1.25 million.

Lost in the hype and ultimate disappointment of two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander's short-lived stint with the team after being signed in minicamp and traded ahead of the midseason deadline was the fact that Awuzie had been the healthier and flat-out better player.

Even before Humphrey suffered his injury setback, the Ravens were playing Awuzie regularly on defense as his 384 snaps account for 70% of the team's total and that is with him having missed a game in Week 5.

The integral role he has been able to play this year as a rotational piece and part-time starter is reminiscent of the contributions recently retired veteran Ronald Darby who started 7 games and played 442 defensive snaps for the Ravens in 2023 when they had the top-ranked defense in the league. He didn't sign with the team until they were already in training camp on a one-year deal worth slightly more than Awuzie's at $1.7 million. In both instances, the players far outperformed their contracts.

Top play was classic teach tape of how to come up clutch

Awuzie was credited with allowing 3 catches for 39 receiving yards, but it was the pass that he didn't allow to finish the process to qualify for a completion that was his most impressive feat of the day. With the Ravens holding a seven-point lead with 1:05 left to play and the Browns driving with the ball at the Baltimore 25-yard line on third down and 5 yards to go, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders uncorks a perfectly-placed ball into the hands of wide receiver Gage Larvadain, who looked as if he was going to hold on for the game-tying touchdown.

However, despite not having his head turned around, Awuzie didn't panic, stayed in phase and managed to rip the ball out of the receiver's hands for a huge pass breakup and force a do-or-die fourth down.

This was a huge play from @ChidobeAwuzie 🔥

Back in action 11/23 1 pm on CBS! pic.twitter.com/0x5K867lK4
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 17, 2025

"It was a great play," Harbaugh said. "The ability to not panic when you're playing the ball downfield like that – especially with your back to the ball, chasing a fade route – that's probably the toughest thing a corner has to do. And to play it in a way that you get into the 'catch cylinder' is what we call it, in front of the receiver and affect the hands, affect the ball, find the ball, play the ball, not hinder the receiver in too much of a way where you get called for interference or anything like that – [Awuzie] has really done well with that."

Plays such as those are not only game-winning but potentially season-saving. After dropping four of their first five games, the Ravens have next to no margin for error heading into the final stretch of the season if they want to keep their hopes of catching the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division race and make the playoffs alive. They can't afford to stumble and succumb to the proverbial trap game, and Awuzie did his part to help them avoid that fate this past week.

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