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Marlon Humphrey is the Ravens best defensive player in 2018

By Richard Bradshaw

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Cornerback Marlon Humphrey #29 of the Baltimore Ravens waits to take the field prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Cornerback Marlon Humphrey #29 of the Baltimore Ravens waits to take the field prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 16: Marlon Humphrey #29 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after making a first half tackle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at M&T Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 16: Marlon Humphrey #29 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after making a first half tackle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at M&T Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Ascension to elite status:

There’s incredibly few instances in the NFL of guys taking such massive steps forward from rookies to elite level cornerbacks. Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson are the few that come to mind, regardless of Marlon Humphrey’s lack of interceptions. Sherman had eight interceptions in his second-season, while Peterson had seven. Humphrey comparatively has just three interceptions to his name, with just one in 2018.

But as anyone who knows football will tell you, interceptions aren’t the end-all be-all of a good cornerback. After all, it’s hard to record interceptions when no one wants to throw at you.

Simply put, quarterbacks avoid Marlon Humphrey because there’s no weaknesses in his coverage. What he does as a pure coverage corner is as good as any other player in the league. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Humphrey is undoubtedly the best defensive player that the Baltimore Ravens have.

Even though the Ravens boast tremendous talent on defense, Humphrey still stands out among the rest. Terrell Suggs, Matt Judon, and Za’Darius Smith all have seven sacks in 2018, and C.J. Mosley has been a stud in the middle, but Humphrey outshines them. Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce get no love on the defensive line, but even less people talk about Marlon Humphrey.

But once again, for the people in the back, it’s hard to talk about a guy with so little meaningful stats on his resume regardless of his actual play on the field. Marlon Humphrey continues to be that guy, and we need to come to a full realization of his skills.

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Marlon Humphrey is undoubtedly a top-ten cornerback in the NFL right now, no other defensive player the Baltimore Ravens have can claim to be top-ten at their positions (besides Williams and Pierce at nose tackle). With the absolutely remarkable, and unnoticed play, of Humphrey in 2018, he is deserving of many accolades both on the Ravens team and the NFL. Humphrey is a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro level player, a top defensive player on the Baltimore Ravens, and could even be the team’s MVP for 2018. We, as Ravens fans, know how good Marlon Humphrey is, but we need to crown him as the team’s top defensive player in 2018, and perhaps for years to come.

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