In the wake of Lardarius Webb's placement on Injured Reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the Ravens added cornerback **Corey Ivy** to the active roster on Tuesday.
It will mark Ivy's second tour of duty in Baltimore, where he was a key special teamer and backup in the secondary from 2006-08. In his last season with the Ravens, Ivy played in all 16 games, starting one, posting 46 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception for the NFL's top-ranked defense. Ivy also had seven special teams tackles.
"I'm familiar with the coaches and the players here," said Ivy. "I'll need to get up to speed with the ins and outs of the defense. I'm thinking that not much has really changed. The defense is still playing at a high level, and I want to contribute to that."
Ivy spent most of Tuesday chatting with coaches and his former teammates at the Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, Md.
There was speculation that Chris McAlister, who spent nine years in Baltimore, would be signed, but multiple media outlets reported that the Ravens had neither contacted McAlister nor his representatives as of Monday evening.
Ivy has proven himself to the Ravens before.
At 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, Ivy possesses tremendous heart and toughness. Former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan even likened him to a pitbull.
"Corey is a relentless guy, a Raven through and through," said Ravens director of player personnel **Eric DeCosta**. "He knows our system and is a popular guy in the locker room. Really, he can help us this week."
The Ravens have a big challenge on Sunday when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who did not play in the two AFC North rivals' first matchup this year (a 20-17 Ravens win in overtime), is healthy and coming off a game where he threw for an eye-popping 503 yards.
Ivy has some familiarity with Roethlisberger, however, as he had a brief one week stint with the Steelers this season. Previous to his time with the Steelers, Ivy nearly joined the New York Jets to follow Ryan before signing with the Cleveland Browns on March 18. Ivy made to the Browns' final cut before he was released.
"I'm excited to be back after traveling around the AFC North," said Ivy. "I'm going to go out and hopefully we can put on a winning performance against a big rival. I've been on both sides of it now, and I know first-hand how much these teams don't like each other. The road to the playoffs will hopefully lead through Pittsburgh.
Those guys beat us twice at their place last year, so we're going to look to change that."
Ivy is expected to mainly help on special teams, with either **Frank Walker** or **Chris Carr** moving up to start opposite **Domonique Foxworth**.
By signing Ivy, the Ravens bypassed former Pro Bowlers that are available, including McAlister, Patrick Surtain and Deltha O'Neal.
"We loved Corey, and it's more about him than it was anybody else," DeCosta noted. "We like what he brings to the table, and he's a good fit for us."
The Ravens also signed safety Keith Fitzhugh off the Jets' practice squad. An undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State, Fitzhugh (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) brings depth to a position that had been thin recently with injuries to safety [Ed Reed (groin).
Defensive back Marcus Paschal, who was brought in last week, was waived.
Ed. Note: Harbaugh announced that Carr would get the start for Webb on his radio show on WBAL Radio 1090 AM on Tuesday evening.
