In the Hunt
- Chidobe Awuzie
- Marlon Humphrey
- Bilhal Kone
- Robert Longerbeam
- Keyon Martin
- Matthew McDoom (undrafted rookie)
- Amani Oruwariye
- Chandler Rivers
- Marquise Robinson
- T.J. Tampa
- Lardarius Webb Jr. (undrafted rookie)
- Nate Wiggins
Projected Starters
The hope is that Wiggins will become one of the NFL's premier cornerbacks in his third season. He's had flashes over his first two years, including three interceptions last season. If the talented former first-round pick becomes more consistent, he'll give the Ravens an advantage against the top receivers in the NFL, especially in the AFC North.
Humphrey is coming off a challenging season in which he, by his own admission, gave up too many big plays. But just two years ago, he grabbed six interceptions, and he still led the Ravens with four last season. The Ravens need a bounce back season from the 30-year-old cornerback, who still plays the game with physicality and passion that sets the tone in Baltimore's secondary. Humphrey's ability to play nickel cornerback is also quite valuable.
Considering how much Humphrey moves inside, the Ravens' No. 3 cornerback is essentially a starter. The leader for that spot is veteran Chidobe Awuzie, who the Ravens re-signed this offseason after he was arguably the team's most consistent cornerback last season. He could be pushed for the job by third-year cornerback T.J. Tampa.
Best Battle
While Humphrey and safety Kyle Hamilton play nickel a good amount, there's still a competition for the true nickel cornerback job between Keyon Martin and fifth-round rookie Chandler Rivers. Martin made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last season and saw action in 13 games, including one start. He had 23 tackles, one sack, and a tackle for loss. The Ravens were excited to get Rivers, a feisty Duke product who projects well inside, in the draft.
Under the Radar
Tampa is an intriguing player with good size (6-foot-1, 199 pounds) who now has some experience under his belt. After appearing in just seven games two seasons ago, Tampa played in all 17 games last season, made one start, and finished with 29 tackles, one interception, and two passes defensed. With Humphrey not participating in spring practices, Tampa got a lot of first-team reps. If he has an even better training camp than he did last year, when he logged several interceptions, Tampa could push for a prominent role.
Second-year cornerbacks Kone and Longerbeam are also players to watch after they missed their entire rookie seasons due to injury. Longerbeam returned to the field this spring and was one of the defense's standout players, while Kone hopes to return to full action during training camp.
