The Ravens had little choice but to part ways with cornerbacks Tavon Young and Chris Westry this week.
The team needs to add money to the salary cap for free agency and the draft. Ravens also need to go into the season with excess funds in case they need to sign a player or two because of injuries.
However, their depth at cornerback is desperately low. The Ravens will have to add playmakers in this year's draft, perhaps as easily as the 14th overall pick.
Here's a breakdown of the cornerbacks on the current roster:
Marlon Humphrey
Humphrey suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in the second game against the Steelers on Dec. 7. Prior to the injury, Humprhey was having a largely inconsistent season by his standards and managed just two turnovers (one interception, one forced fumble. The Ravens have a lot of money invested in Humprhey and he needs to have a bounce-back season.
Marcus Peters
Peters suffered a season-ending injury during training camp. He is in the final year of his contract and there was speculation Peters was going to be another salary-cap casualty. However, it appears the Ravens want to retain him because Peters is one of their top playmakers when healthy.
Iman Marshall
Marshall was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 but has only appeared in three games because of injuries. His roster spot is tenuous and he'll need a solid training camp to make the team.
Kevon Seymour
Seymour was signed for depth and has made seven career starts, including two with the Ravens last season. He had career highs in tackles (23), tackles for a loss (3), and sacks (1) in 2021. Seymour has solid NFL experience and is a good player to have on the roster.
Kevin Toliver
Toliver is a journeyman that was signed to add depth to the secondary last season. He spent the season on the Ravens practice squad and his roster spot is uncertain for 2022.
Robert Jackson
Jackson appeared in five games for the Ravens last season and finished with three tackles (43 defensive snaps). The Ravens like his potential.
The Ravens could also look to the draft to add depth at cornerback and this year's class of defensive backs is fairly strong.
Here are PFF's top prospects at cornerback:
- Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
- Trent McDuffie, Washington
- Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, Cincinnati
- Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
- Jalen Pitre, Baylor
- Kaiir Elam, Florida
- Daxton Hill, Michigan
- Roger McCreary, Auburn
- Kyler Gordon, Washington
- Martin Emerson, Mississippi State
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