Danny Gorrer, Tramain Jacobs Added to Baltimore Ravens Secondary

December 16, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Danny Gorrer (36) and middle linebacker Mason Foster (59) are unable to come up with a deflected pass against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Never accuse the Baltimore Ravens of sitting on their hands. After an abysmal performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens shook up their secondary in a big way, cutting Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown to add Danny Gorrer and promote Tramain Jacobs from the practice squad.

Gorrer is best known by Ravens fans for contributing on an excellent Ravens defense in 2011, especially in a primetime game against the New York Jets. Since then, he has seen some action with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by playing meaningful reps with the Detroit Lions this year.

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For more thoughts on Gorrer, see here.

Jacobs, meanwhile, played quite a bit in the preseason, holding his own with the second unit. Jacob flashed some natural man coverage abilities and good quickness, but there is no guarantee those skills will translate to covering starting NFL receivers, as he will probably need to do.

The 5’11” 22-year old corner was describes as having great upside, and it showed in the preseason. Of course, preseason performances are no guarantee of anything in the regular season, so expectations for Jacobs should be low. He was, after all, an undrafted free agent.

There is no guarantee either of these moves works out, but the moves are positive in two major ways.

First, the Ravens absolutely recognize that secondary is a huge need. That is obvious to any casual observer, but teams can occasionally fall in love with their own players.

Second, both of these guys have upside. Gorrer, despite his physical gifts, has not received much playing time in his career. There is still upside that remains unscratched in the 28-year old. Jacobs, meanwhile, has received no playing time. We have no idea what he will do. For some teams, that is a frightening proposition. For the Ravens, though, the uncertainty, and thus upside, has to be exciting after so many struggles in the secondary.

Also, a big thank you to the Detroit Lions for cutting Gorrer just as the Ravens’ need was most dire.

All in all, the Ravens are shaking things up in the secondary. Even if the moves don’t pan out, that’s cause for celebration.