New-look Ravens’ defensive backfield expects to be dominant

07/29/2017 by PeekYou Team Comments

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, left, and general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome watch an NFL football training camp practice in Owings Mills, Md., Friday, July 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) The Baltimore Ravens addressed their most obvious need during the offseason by adding talent and depth to the secondary.

As a result, the potential of this unit – which for years has been a sore spot – knows no bounds.

”We’ve got a nice mix of players who have done it before and also some good young players,” coach John Harbaugh said Friday. ”We expect our secondary to be dominant.”

The Ravens ended the 2016 season with six defensive backs on injured reserve. The shortage of effective backups finally caught up to Baltimore in the last quarter of the season, when the defense was scorched for 114 points during a 1-3 finish that ruined the team’s playoff bid.

So general manager Ozzie Newsome signed free agents Brandon Carr and Tony Jefferson, drafted Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the first round and retained versatile safety Lardarius Webb.

Throw returning cornerback Jimmy Smith and safety Eric Weddle into the mix, and you’ve got a backfield that could turn out to be a quarterback’s nightmare.