Stanley Jean-Baptiste has bounced around the league since being a second round pick back in 2014, but he may have finally found a home in Baltimore.
Once thought of as a prized cornerback prospect, Stanley Jean-Baptiste has been all around NFL after being taken 58th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. While SJB was never regarded as a “can’t miss prospect,” his incredible physique (6’3″ 216-lbs.) and ball skills coming out of Nebraska (seven interceptions in three seasons with the Corn-huskers) made him an extremely attractive prospect.
Back in 2014, the Saints didn’t have any semblance of a no.1 corner and believed that Jean-Baptiste could’ve been the answer. Instead, he appeared in just four games for the Saints and never recorded a single statistic for the team. He would find himself cut after his rookie year and would bounce around the league until landing with Baltimore in 2017. In one game last season with the Ravens, SJB recorded the only tackle of his entire career in week 17 against the Bengals.
Things looked bleak going into the season for Stanley Jean-Baptiste to make the Ravens roster. But of course things change, and the 28-year old looks like a lock to make the final 53-man roster for the Ravens.
SJB has had a strong preseason thus far, compiling 12 tackles and two interceptions in four games. His two interceptions also tie for the team lead with Chuck Clark. These are stats that go a long ways and will help him to standout when cuts are being made.
If SJB’s performance wasn’t enough, however, Jimmy Smith’s four-game suspension certainly opened the door that much wider. While the Ravens will start the 2018 season without their top cornerback, the team will certainly be looking for someone to step up, and that man could very well be Jean-Baptiste.
Stanley Jean-Baptiste still has one preseason game left against Washington to lock up his roster spot, but it should be very close to secured at this point. If any player needed a big preseason to save his NFL career, SJB would’ve topped that list. Even if SJB fails to make the Ravens roster, he has certainly done enough quality work this August to find himself a spot somewhere else in the league.
The Ravens have plenty of good cornerbacks on the roster, but it should be that much more impressive that Stanley Jean-Baptiste has continued to find a way to stand out this preseason. Barring something insane happening to the fifth-year pro, he should have a spot saved for him on the Ravens final 53-man cut.