Marlon Humphrey Gives Injury Update, Reacts to Repeated Questions About Ja'Marr Chase 'Cooking' Him
Marlon Humphrey is in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl, but being there as an onlooker while the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals prepare to play in the big game certainly isn't what the All-Pro cornerback had in mind for this season.
Humphrey, whose season ended after he suffered a torn right pectoral muscle in Week 13, gave an update on how his rehab is going during an interview with the "Good Morning Football" crew yesterday.
"It's going well," Humphrey said. "I've been rehabbing that for the past three weeks in L.A., and it feels good to get back healthy again. I just get excited raising my arm. So I'm really excited about getting fully healthy and getting ready for next year."
Humphrey said he's also excited about playing the Bengals twice next season.
"I've been enjoying, in a weird way, seeing the Bengals get all this love because I'm like, 'I can't wait to play them twice in the division,'" Humphrey said. "It's going to make the division that much more heated up. It used to be the Steelers-Ravens, and now the Bengals have come and just got here to the Super Bowl and just done big things."
As Humphrey made the media rounds, he was asked repeatedly about Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's huge performance (eight catches for 201 yards and a touchdown) against him in Cincinnati's 41-17 win over the Ravens in Week 7. Humphrey took it all in stride.
"I've only been asked about Ja'Marr Chase cooking me about six times, so I'm sure I got about five more. But that's OK," Humphrey said in a video he posted on social media.
Ravens Faced Most of the NFL's Major Awards Winners This Season
In further discussing the Bengals and their offensive weapons on "Good Morning Football," Humphrey said: "If anyone knows the Bengals well, it's definitely the Ravens."
Two of Cincinnati's offensive stars took home awards at NFL Honors last night, as Chase won Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year, and quarterback Joe Burrow was named Comeback Player of the Year.
In actuality, the Ravens know several of the other major awards winners well, too, as noted by WJZ's Mark Viviano.
In addition to facing Burrow and Chase twice this season, the Ravens also played against NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams and Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers (twice).
The Ravens went 0-6 in those games.
Speaking of NFL Honors, Justin Tucker's record-breaking, game-winning 66-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions in Week 3 won Moment of the Year.
However, while the NFL sang Tucker's praises, the All-Pro kicker refused to sing when he was asked to show off his opera skills on the red carpet prior to the show.
"I stayed out a little late last night and I had an extra glass of wine, so I'm a little scratchy. I couldn't give you my best performance," Tucker said with a smile. "You gotta pay extra for that."
Tight End Is an Under-the-Radar Need This Offseason
When looking at the Ravens' offseason needs, the offensive line, interior defensive line and outside linebacker are universally at the top of the list. A playmaking safety and more depth at cornerback also are frequently mentioned.
One position group that isn't usually high on the list but could be a significant factor in the Ravens' success next season is tight end.
The Ravens have arguably the best tight end in the league in All-Pro Mark Andrews, but they lack depth at the position.
A fully healthy Nick Boyle, who is regarded as the best blocking tight end in the league, would be a welcome sight. (Head Coach John Harbaugh said last week that Boyle "should be back at full speed next year.") After suffering a major knee injury during the 2020 season, Boyle did not return until Week 11 last year and was never at full strength.
"While Boyle’s] return was heartfelt, he wasn’t nearly as effective as his pre-injury self,” [Ebony Bird’s Justin Fried wrote. "Josh Oliver served as the team's TE3 for most of the season and was largely a non-factor, while Eric Tomlinson proved to be a capable replacement for Boyle as the team's blocking tight end. Still, the Ravens can't rely on Boyle returning to full strength in 2022, especially with nothing behind him. Expect them to address the position in some way this offseason."
One of the keys to the Ravens' potent offense in 2019 was the three-headed monster at tight end of Andrews, Boyle and Hayden Hurst. Hurst was traded that offseason to the Atlanta Falcons (for a package that included a 2020 second-round pick, who turned out to be running back J.K. Dobbins), and the lack of a second pass-catching tight end hindered the offense the past two seasons.
"The Ravens have to consider how aggressive they want to be in finding a pass-catching complement to Andrews, who was unbelievable in 2021 but could probably use some help," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote. "Oliver didn't flash enough to suggest that he's that guy and it would help the offense to have another tight end who threatens downfield."
Hurst, by the way, is a free agent, as the Falcons declined to pick up his fifth-year option. As the No. 2 tight end in Atlanta behind rookie Kyle Pitts, Hurst finished with 26 catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games this past season.
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