Ravens 2023 position review: Cornerbacks

Breaking down how each of the team’s position groups performed this past season.

The 2023 season is in the books and the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams around the league. Before completely turning the page toward free agency and the 2024 NFL draft, taking time to assess the performances and production of each position group on the Baltimore Ravens is a useful exercise in determining what went right or wrong and where to go from here.

In this article series, I’ll break down how each player at every position in all three phases fared this past year and their 2024 outlook. Up next is the one that dealt with and overcame injuries to perform at an elite level as a collective — the cornerbacks.

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Marlon Humphrey

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In 2022, the three-time Pro Bowler appeared in every game and didn’t give a single touchdown in coverage according to Pro Football Focus. This past season was delayed and hampered by injuries and inconsistent play as a result.

Humphrey appeared in 10 games total, which is the fewest of his career. He missed the first four of the season while recovering from training camp foot surgery and sat out three more regular season games. He also missed the divisional round of the playoffs with a calf injury.

In the action that he did see this past season, Humphrey recorded 26 total tackles including one for a loss, one quarterback hit, five pass breakups, and one interception. While he gave the second-most yards per completion of his career (13.1) per Pro Football Reference, he also allowed just one touchdown and single-season career lows in completion percentage (46.7) and opposing passer rating (64.6).

As one of the highest-paid players on a defense that will likely be losing a slew of starters and key depth pieces, the Ravens will need Humphrey to return to his previous impressive form in 2024. Having an offseason to get fully healthy will go a long way in aiding in that effort, so that he will be ready to roll this fall.

Brandon Stephens

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The 2021 third-rounder was effectively the Ravens’ No. 1 cornerback in 2023 with Humphrey out of the lineup for stretches of the season. Stephens not only rose to the challenge but shattered expectations with a breakout season. It came following an offseason where the team planned for him to focus more on safety before ultimately finding out that his best spot is at cornerback. He appeared in all but one game and posted 74 total tackles while setting new career highs in tackles for loss (two), pass breakups (11), and the first two interceptions of his career.

Since Stephens has one year left on his rookie contract, he is a prime candidate to receive an early and well-deserved extension. Having him and a healthy Humphrey gives the Ravens arguably the league’s most physical cornerback tandem, which they will have for one more season and hopefully many more to come.

Ronald Darby

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The nine-year veteran helped Stephens and the rest of the starting Ravens’ secondary not miss a beat in the games that Humphrey missed. Darby even rotated with him for some games where he was less than 100 percent or just coming back from injury.

Darby was one of the many seasoned defenders who joined the team just before the season and wound up playing a pivotal role. In 16 regular games, he made seven starts and recorded 28 total tackles including one for a loss and seven pass breakups — his most since 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, he only allowed 31 receptions for 353 receiving yards and one touchdown on 60 targets. He forced 10 incompletions as well while in coverage during the regular and postseason.

Lack of quality starting-caliber cornerback depth had been an issue for the Ravens prior to the past two years. Retaining Darby would help ensure they don’t revert to their previous norm, which doomed several promising playoff runs over the past decade. There is a chance Darby might have a decent market and could look to explore his options. Another team could offer him more compensation or a clearer path to consistent playing time that isn’t contingent on the health of someone ahead of him.

Arthur Maulet

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The seven-year veteran didn’t join the team until August and turned out to be one of their many bargain additions that far exceeded expectations. Maulet rewarded the Ravens’ faith in keeping him on the final roster after missing time in training camp and had arguably his best career season.

He appeared in 14 games including three starts and split nickel responsibilities with All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton from Week 4 through the postseason. Maulet finished with 37 total tackles including a career-high tying five for loss, while also tying his career-high in sacks (two) and pass breakups (five). He set a new best in quarterback hits (three), a pair of fumble recoveries, and had an interception on a hail mary attempt.

The Ravens should absolutely attempt to re-sign Maulet in free agency given their need for a complementary nickel defender. He’d be the ideal candidate after the season he just had and given that non-All-Pro slot corners don’t command top dollar on the open market. Their other in-house options include Humphrey, who has played at an elite level in the slot but is needed most outside, 2022 fourth-rounder Damarion Williams, and Ar’Darius Washington — who will mentioned further down in this article.

Rock Ya-Sin

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The five-year veteran was the first post-draft free-agent addition that the Ravens made last offseason. Instead of being the projected starter opposite of Humphrey that many believed he was slated to be, he wound up being another solid depth piece who made some plays and gave up some plays when he saw the field on defense in 2023. Ya-Sin appeared in 14 games and made one start but recorded career lows in defensive snaps (279), total tackles (13), and pass breakups (two). His best play of the season came when he choke-slammed three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to the ground and dislodged what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown in the Ravens’ Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ravens have limited resources and pressing needs elsewhere on both sides of the ball heading into free agency. If Ya-Sin is willing to sign for around the veteran minimum and assuming there is a mutual interest, bringing him back after the draft again to compete for a depth spot makes sense if he is still available.

Ar’Darius Washington

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The former undrafted free agent in 2021 has had a hard time staying on the field at the onset of his career and that unfortunate trend continued in 2023. After winning the starting nickel corner spot in training camp and preseason and having a strong first two games of the regular season, a chest injury that required surgery knocked him out of commission until the postseason and upon his return, he almost exclusively played on special teams outside of two snaps on defense in the AFC title game. In four games, including the playoffs, Washington recorded 12 total tackles including one for loss, two quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and his first career sack.

Had he not gotten injured for the third year in a row, Washington likely would’ve broken out in 2023 with a similar standout season to the one Maulet had in his place. Since he is an exclusive rights free agent and given his injury history, the odds of another team wanting to sign him to an offer sheet if the Ravens tender him are very low so he’ll have a chance to potentially compete for a starting spot again whether Maulet returns or not but he’ll need to prove he can be durable first and foremost.

Jalyn Armour-Davis

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The 2022 fourth-rounder has also struggled to stay on the field in each of his first two seasons in the league resulting in him being limited to 12 appearances out of a possible 37 games during that span. Armour-Davis has finished both years on season-ending injured reserve but when he has been available, he played well on special teams and showed some nice flashes on defense. In eight games this past season, he played 110 snaps on special teams to just 28 defense and finished with six total tackles for the second year in a row.

At 6-foot-1 and around 200 pounds with long arms, Armour-Davis has the length and athletic profile to be a stud outside corner or at least provide quality depth behind an established starter. He was in contention for the starting spot opposite Humphrey during training camp before he suffered a minor injury setback and by the time he returned, Stephens had already secured the spot. Heading into his third season, his priority will be to stay healthy first and foremost and be ready to perform in whatever capacity he is needed. Prior to his season-ending concussion in 2023, he was starting to have more of a rotational role on defense, and with a strong offseason, he could earn a similar role in 2024.

Kevon Seymour

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The eight-year veteran was competing for a starting job at one point in training camp the preseason even before Humphrey suffered his setback. However, after Darby’s arrival and Stephens’ emergence, Seymour was relegated to being a core special teams player.

Seymour played the vast majority of his snaps in the third phase of the game and just a handful on defense (155-13). He appeared in eight of the first nine games during which he recorded just three solo tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery on a muffed punt that he nearly returned for a touchdown.

Seymour isn’t the type of pending free agent that will have suitors lining up to sign him when the new league year opens. He would likely only cost around the veteran minimum to be re-signed. Seymour is an experienced player who can be a key special teams contributor with the upside to contribute on defense as well, based on how he played last preseason.