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Ravens Regretting Not Re-Signing CB
Rich Storry / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's easy say whether or not a move was good for a football team after the season has already began, but seven games might enough for the Baltimore Ravens to realize they have made a critical mistake not re-signing this defender.

During the offseason, the Ravens made the decision to not bring back cornerback Brandon Stephens. Instead, he went on to sign a three-year, $36 million contract with the New York Jets.

Stephens was a former third-round pick of the Ravens in 2021 as he started as a safety at first before transitioning to being a cornerback. He really flourished over the last two years for Baltimore in the secondary with 21 pass deflections and two interceptions in that span.

Entering his first season with the Jets, Stephens has picked up from where he left off and Baltimore, and might even be on his way to a career season. He has racked up 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, and six pass deflections in seven games.

Stephens currently ranks 38th out of 171 cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus' overall grade with 67.8. PFF also ranks him first among cornerbacks in the stops category with 14.

Did the Ravens make a fatal mistake letting Stephens walk in free agency?

Looking at the overall outlook of the Ravens this season in the secondary, Stephens has been playing better than most. In fact, his PFF grade is higher than most of Baltimore's cornerbacks, except for Nate Wiggins.

The Ravens are getting great production from Wiggins as he ranks 34th in overall PFF grade with 68.8. He's only allowing a passer rating of 66.9, adding three pass breakups and one interception to his stat line.

Baltimore fans have been disappointed in Marlon Humphrey's performance with a PFF grade of just 38.8. He did play better against the Los Angeles Rams before the bye week, so there is still hope that he can turn things around.

Stephens' replacement, Jaire Alexander, has pretty much been a non factor in the Ravens' season. There's even questions as to whether he will actually finish the season on the roster.

Baltimore has been one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL and have struggled. Injuries have also played a big role in some of the struggles in the secondary, but have recently gotten back Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton to improve the situation.

There's still a ton of time this season for the other cornerbacks on the Ravens to step up, but for now, they are looking a bit silly to letting a solid starter in Stephens sign elsewhere.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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