ExtremeRavens Posted July 24 Posted July 24 Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey stripped off his helmet and jersey, revealing a sleeveless and sweat-soaked t-shirt that looked big on his seemingly thinner 6-foot frame. Though he’s officially listed at 203 pounds, he acknowledged that he’s lost about 10 since last season and is now around 190. The decision, he said, was by design. “I looked at my better seasons, I was a little bit lighter those years,” he said Tuesday after the third day of training camp in Owings Mills. “I’ve been feeling [I’m] moving pretty well at it. “Since I tore my [pectoral in 2021], I got my grown man weight on me and it just never went off, so I just stuck with it. It’s a young man’s game, so I decided to get a little lower.” At 28 and entering his eighth year in the NFL since the Ravens drafted him 16th overall out of Alabama in 2017, the former All-Pro is inching toward the back end of his career. And while his play took a downturn in 2023, injuries also cropped up. The two were not mutually exclusive. Humphrey played in just 10 games and had but a single takeaway last season, both career lows. “Last year was a unique year,” Humphrey said. “Every time I felt like I was pretty healthy, it felt like I got hurt the next game.” After foot surgery last August kept him out for the first month of the season, Humphrey made his season debut in Week 5 against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey works on tackling during training camp. “I like hitting people,” Humphrey said. “It’s a place I’m comfortable in.” (Kevin Richardson/Staff) The ramp up was slow: Humphrey said the first time he sprinted wasn’t until two days before kickoff. Then he played just 37 snaps, and while he performed solidly for the majority of the time he was on the field, he got beat badly when it counted most. With Baltimore clinging to a 10-8 lead with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter and Humphrey in man coverage on George Pickens, the second-year receiver raced past him up the right sideline, hauling in a 41-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the game-winner. Over the next four games, Humphrey was targeted 10 times but allowed just five completions for 24 yards, per Pro Football Focus. Then the injury bug bit again. Going into the Ravens’ Week 10 game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium, Humphrey was added to the injury report late in the week with a hamstring issue. In the loss, he suffered a noncontact calf injury in the third quarter and did not return. Humphrey missed the next two games, and when he returned against the Los Angeles Rams, he struggled again, allowing four catches for 92 yards, including one to Cooper Krupp that went for 34 yards after a double move. He also dropped a would-be interception in the end zone. A week later, the Ravens blew out the Miami Dolphins to clinch the top seed in the AFC, but Humphrey suffered a first-quarter calf injury, did not return and didn’t appear again until the AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs in which he played just 13 snaps and had a missed tackle on receiver Rashee Rice. “I think that’s some of the things I regret last year is, attacking the rehab but also what can you do to stay in it for when you’re ready to go,” he said. “I had certain injuries where you needed rest, and I overtook some of the rest time and then thought I could just play in the game Sunday and be my usual self. “Not really making excuses, but what I’ve tried to do this offseason is to prepare a little better for even when you’re hurt. You’ve gotta prepare for the worst.” But Humphrey’s success this year could stretch beyond his health. With a deep and versatile cornerback room that includes Brandon Stephens, who blossomed on the outside in his third season, and first-round pick Nate Wiggins, the Ravens’ secondary continues to move closer to a positionless group in which players are expected to be able to play all over the field. The best example of that, of course, is jack of all trades safety Kyle Hamilton, who last season logged more snaps (465) at slot corner (301) than he did at free safety. The idea of Humphrey, who played almost exclusively out wide last year, playing more inside this season is one the cornerback is embracing, and for good reason. From 2021 to 2023, which included a Pro Bowl selection in 2022, he was one of the league’s better defenders when he lined up in the slot. “I like hitting people,” Humphrey said. “It’s a place I’m comfortable in.” The ideal, he added, will be to have him, Stephens and Wiggins (as well as Hamilton) all on the field at the same time. But wherever the Ravens deploy their aging star corner, staying on the field and performing better than he did last season will be integral to the defense’s success. “Having Marlon Humphrey at full speed and at his best would be massively beneficial,” coach John Harbaugh said earlier this week. “That’s what we expect him to be. He’s in great shape.” Others have noticed, too. “He’s looking good,” Hamilton said. “He’s got the abs back. “He’s running, he’s covering very well. … He’s still one of the fastest guys on the team.” While there’s yet to be any talk among the coaches of using Humphrey at safety, it’s something he said he always saw himself doing at some point, so that could be yet another wrinkle for Baltimore’s defense to consider. The recent addition of veteran Eddie Jackson probably makes it unnecessary, but Humphrey did concede that there’s been plenty of talk about him or Stephens also playing nickel corner. “I wasn’t really used to being hurt a lot,” Humphrey said. “Last year was a little different for me, but I’m kind of ready for whatever this year. “With what Nate’s already shown … it’ll be a lot of plays being made by this secondary with Eddie included. There will be so many packages. Teams won’t know what we’re doing, who’s playing what. Anybody can line up anywhere.” View the full article Quote
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