Mink: The Ravens have a very good "problem" at cornerback with too much talent and not enough snaps. Let's review:
- A slimmed down Marlon Humphrey looks rejuvenated and is in great shape following last year's injuries that marred his season.
- Brandon Stephens has picked up where he left off last year, if not better.
- First-round rookie Nate Wiggins has been fantastic and looks ready to contribute early.
- Arthur Maulet has snared three interceptions in three days of training camp.
- Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion "Pepe" Williams keep stacking good practices and drew praise from Head Coach John Harbaugh.
I expect that Humphrey and Stephens will be the Week 1 starters in the base package. But as opposed to last season when those two would play 100% of the defensive snaps when healthy, I think the Ravens will give both breathers more often by inserting Wiggins. As the rookie proves himself and acclimates to the NFL game, it could shift more from relief duty to major role. I don't think it will take long for that to happen. He's that talented.
The Ravens can and will use Humphrey more at nickel than they have the past couple seasons. He's good at it and it's a way to get all three cornerbacks on the field. However, Baltimore also has other good nickel candidates with Kyle Hamilton, who played the majority of his snaps there last season, and Maulet.
Last season, the Ravens played a lot of nickel defense (five defensive backs) as Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen never left the field. This year, Baltimore may opt to use more dime (six defensive backs) to maximize their secondary depth and not put too much on Trenton Simpson's plate.
"I think we could see more of [dime]," Harbaugh said Tuesday. "We've certainly got the guys for it back there that they can play it. We've got a younger version of P.Q. now, so that's probably where we're at with it."
Brown: Cleveland has work to do if he's going to win the starting job at right guard. At least three players appear to be in the running for that spot – Cleveland, Daniel Faalele, and Sala Aumavae-Laulu.
While I don't think any of them took command during the first three days of camp, Harbaugh made it clear that Faalele's going to get a legitimate look. Listed at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, Faalele would be the NFL’s biggest guard if he successfully makes the transition from tackle. Harbaugh praised Faalele for his agile footwork and is intrigued by the potential of Faalele working in tandem with center Tyler Linderbaum on combination blocks.
Cleveland is a powerful player who may shine once padded practices and preseason games get underway. He has a track record of performing better in games than he does in practices. However, if Cleveland's going to take advantage of a golden opportunity to earn a job, I think he needs to start stacking more good days soon.
Mink: Simpson is a good choice. He's flying around the field making plays in practice. Simpson is young and doesn't have much game experience yet, so there will of course be some growing pains. But by season's end, I expect we'll all be saying there wasn't much of a drop-off, if at all.
Somebody else I'm watching is defensive tackle Travis Jones. He has been an absolute monster during training camp practices, and I expect that he'll take more snaps off veteran Michael Pierce's plate this season. Jones has been focusing on his pass rush this offseason and says he wants a minimum of five or six sacks.
Brown: There were rumors this spring about the Ravens possibly trading for Matthew Judon, but don't hold your breath. Judon is one of the Patriots' best defensive players. I don't think that first-year Head Coach Jerod Mayo, a former NFL linebacker, wants to begin his tenure by trading Judon.
Judon is in the final year of his contract and is seeking a new deal, but he is reportedly expected at training camp while talks continue.
Unless there's a breakdown in negotiations that results in Judon requesting a trade, I can't envision a scenario where he returns to Baltimore. Odafe Oweh has looked great early in camp, Kyle Van Noy is a trusted veteran, and the Ravens are eager to see what a healthy David Ojabo can do. If the Ravens decide they need another pass rusher, they can target someone with a less expensive price tag than Judon, who has a $6.5 million base salary.
