Lardarius Webb is the Ravens' top cornerback.
But he's also a dangerous punt returner, and the Ravens don't plan on taking that job away from him right now.
"I envision Lardarius being one of our returners," Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg said Saturday.
Webb was the team's top returner last season, as he returned 30 punts for a 10-yard average, including a 68-yard touchdown. When he signed a six-year contract extension this offseason, some speculated that his return days were over, but the Ravens have said on numerous occasions that he will still be in the mix.
The other likely candidate for the punt return job is free-agent signing Jacoby Jones. The veteran return man has worked at both kick and punt returner, and also appears to be the leading candidate at the No. 3 receiver spot.
When the Ravens signed him this offseason, the expectation was that he would make a big impact in the return game. His playing time on offense could end up dictating exactly the kind of role he ends up playing at returner.
"We'll see how much he is playing on offense," Rosburg said. "If he is playing a lot, he may be doing both, but he may not be doing every rep with both."
Rosburg did make it clear that if Jones does end up having a large role on offense, that won't necessarily keep him from playing special teams.
Other starters like Jameel McClain also play special teams, and Jones would be no different.
"It's no different than a lot of our starters," Rosburg said. "We are not trying to ration reps, but we want to be mindful of the contributions the guys have to make at other phases and then figure it out."
