The trajectory of the Baltimore Ravens changed with the swing of Tyler Loop’s leg.
The Ravens missed the playoffs when Loop missed a field goal as time expired against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 last season. Baltimore finished 8-9, and the Steelers earned the right to get blown out by the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card.
Head coach John Harbaugh was fired after 18 seasons in Baltimore, and the Ravens hired Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as his replacement. As is the case with every new head coach and regime, Minter is hard at work remaking the Ravens in his image - particularly the defensive scheme and personnel.
Now that Minter has his first NFL draft under his belt, ESPN’s Ben Solak believes that cornerback Marlon Humphrey may be phased out in favor of former Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers, whom Baltimore drafted in the fifth round (No. 162 overall) two weeks ago.
“Rivers is exactly the sort of player who excels as a 10-year NFL slot corner,” Solak wrote. “If he hits, he bumps Humphrey back outside, where the veteran was much stronger last season (61.5% coverage success rate relative to the 46.9% he posted inside).”
Solak continued, “So Rivers is not exactly taking Humphrey’s job - just the half of it that Humphrey isn’t as equipped to do anymore. Humphrey wouldn’t compete with Chidobe Awuzie on the outside but would instead immediately slide into that full-time role. His play at his age, however, is something to watch closely.”
Humphrey is entering his age-30 season. The Ravens drafted the Alabama alum at No. 16 overall in 2017, and he became a four-time Pro Bowler (2019, ’20, ’22, ’24) and two-time All-Pro (2019, ’24).
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