Baltimore Ravens Cornerbacks Season Grades
Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) catches a pass for a fifty-four yard touchdown catch and run against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chykie Brown (23) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-23. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Ugh. These were the grades I was dreading, but I can put them off no longer. The Baltimore Ravens cornerbacks, all eight of them to have played this year, need their grades. Let’s get into it.
Lardarius Webb – C+
Though there are legitimate questions as to whether or not Lardarius Webb can ever stay healthy, he did get better and better as the season went on after missing three of the first four games.
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When he came back from the injury, Webb looked slow and rusty, a bad combination. That culminated in a horrible performance in the Ravens’ Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the loss that resulted in two huge roster moves.
Since the Ravens’ Week 11 bye week, though, Webb has been solid, if unspectacular. Some high profiles mistakes aside, Webb was a perfectly acceptable corner after the bye, keeping plays in front of him. His lack of statistics (just eight passes defended, one interception) are more indicative of the Ravens’ overwhelmingly conservative scheme than any failure on Webb’s part.
If he can stay healthy for an entire offseason, there is some hope that Webb can regain the form that made him one of the Ravens’ highest paid players.
Jimmy Smith – A
The lone bright spot in the secondary was Jimmy Smith, who became a legitimate top-tier cornerback in the league. In about half of Webb’s reps, Smith had identical stats, with eight passes defended and an interception. He was allowed to play more aggressively than any other corner, which helped.
Smith was almost always in the right position, and his constant developing ball skills have made him among the better corners in the game. He just needs to stay healthy.
Asa Jackson – F
Seven games, seven missed tackles. Had he played a full season, Asa Jackson may have challenged Matt Elam for the team lead in missed tackles. Jackson was reputed to be a decent cover corner, but in his first real action, Jackson was easily beaten. Teams passed for 319 yards into Jackson’s coverage, a huge number considering he only played seven games.
Rashaan Melvin – C+
Prior to his legendarily awful performance against the New England Patriots, Rashaan Melvin was actually a bright spot in the Ravens’ secondary. As it turned out, Melvin just hadn’t been tested enough yet. When he finally was, he collapsed like a house of cards. Turns out, Melvin can excel against Blake Bortles and Connor Shaw, but against Tom Brady, he was destined to struggle.
That said, Melvin’s effectiveness in his three regular season games can’t be overlooked. He was excellent, especially against the Houston Texans and their talented receivers. There is upside here. If his confidence isn’t shot to bits after that disaster of a Divisional round, Melvin could play a role next year.
Anthony Levine – C-
Anthony Levine started his career with a bang against the Tennessee Titans, but it’s been all struggles since. His ball skills became a huge issue, especially when he was guilty of a game-changing pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter against San Diego. Like most of the Ravens’ cornerbacks, Levine was thrust into a role he had no business attempting to fill. He’s a great special teamer, though, so his grade gets a little bump.
Dominique Franks – F
Dominique Franks’ season has much in common with Rashaan Melvin’s in that he showed some promise before completely collapsing. Franks’ collapse came much earlier in the season in the Ravens’ blowout loss to the Steelers, and resulted in his release. Franks typically had good position in coverage but proved completely incapable of tracking the ball.
Danny Gorrer – C+
Danny Gorrer did exactly what was asked of him in the Ravens’ scheme, allowing short receptions and making the tackles. He also managed to intercept a pass, not bad for four games of work. The drawback? Gorrer allowed 16 receptions on just 18 targets. That’s partially a function of the Ravens’ scheme, but Gorrer could have been quicker to respond on some of those targets. All in all, Gorrer looks like a quality fourth cornerback but shouldn’t be asked to do more.
Chykie Brown – F
In just 97 coverage reps this year, Chykie Brown gave up an incredible 260 yards. He got turned around on double moves, missed tackles and was completely inept at tracking the ball in the air. Brown has no business playing anything but special teams.