Ravens’ rookie safety Deshon Elliott registered a strong performance in his first game action. Will he build upon this performance throughout the preseason?
Last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game marked the first NFL game action for all of the Ravens 2018 rookies. While Lamar Jackson unsurprisingly garnered all the attention, a few of the other guys from Ozzie Newsome’s final draft class made some plays out there. Safety DeShon Elliott was no exception.
Elliot contributed four tackles on the night, and generally held up well in coverage. But what made Elliott’s performance stand out, was the fumble he forced on the Chicago Bear’s shifty receiver/return man Demarcus Ayers.
Ayers brought in a short pass over the middle of the field and cut toward the sideline. As he began to cut up field, Elliott came in and delivered a perfectly-placed jab on the ball and popped it right out. The Ravens recovered the ball in Bears territory and turned the takeaway into a touchdown.
These are exactly the kind of plays the Ravens are looking for. Taking the ball away in enemy territory, and turning it into points of their own. That’s what Ravens defense has always been about.
Young players on the defensive side of the ball that can force turnovers are exactly what the team needs. In order to build on last year’s NFL-leading 34 takeaways, defensive coordinator Don Martindale is going to have to get some quality play from his young guys on defense.
It’s still very early, but it’s encouraging to see DeShon Elliott on the field and making plays in his first game action. I would like to see him show his nose for the football again Thursday night, when the Ravens take on the Rams. If nothing else, it should instill confidence in Ravens fans to see the young safety get his career off to a hot start in Baltimore. The safety position is a pretty big deal here, after all.