Devin Duvernay never returned punts in high school or college.
He was thrown into the fire with the job last season for the Ravens.
Now in his second year, Duvernay is thriving in that role and leads the NFL with an 18.9-yard punt return average.
“I’m honestly kind of learning on the fly," Duvernay said. "This last year when they threw me back there at the end of the year was my first time ever doing it. So, I never thought I … I never did it in college, or high school, or anything. So, I’m still kind of learning. But [like] what coach says, part of it is just catching the ball and just running. So, that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Duvernay has made a couple of mistakes but has bounced back each time with a big play,
Midway through the second quarter in Week 3, the Lions would have gotten the ball at Ravens' 23-yard line after Duvernay fumbled. But a Detroit player ran out of bounds on punt coverage. So, a 5-yard penalty made the Lions punt again. On the next punt, Duvernay returned the ball 29 yards to give the Ravens key field position. Duvernay then caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jackson for a 10-0 lead.
Last week against the Broncos, Duvernay made another mental mistake as a returner. This time, he had a fair catch at the 4-yard line that put the offense at a disadvantage. He then had a 44-yard return with 30 seconds left in the half that set up a 40-yard field goal by Justin Tucker that gave the Ravens a 17-7 lead.
"Honestly, I never really think about mistakes I make, or [think about] making a bad decision. I just think of coming out and making the play the next play I get,” he said.
Duvermay is also becoming a bigger part of the offense and has six receptions on 11 targets for 59 yards with the touchdown. He's gaining confidence each week.
“I’m extremely more comfortable," Duvernay said. "It just shows the work that we put in, and [we] just keep going at it each and every day in practice. The coaches help me tremendously. I just keep improving.”
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