Jimmy Smith:
Potential replacements:
- Tavon Young
- Bradley Roby
- Trevon Diggs
It would suck to lose Jimmy Smith, whose importance to the team is too often taken for granted, but this is the one position where the Baltimore Ravens are covered for any potential losses. Smith is going to be 32-years old at the start of the season and he just can’t stay healthy enough to be relied on heavily. As sad as it is, it seems likely that he’ll depart from Baltimore.
If Smith is indeed gone, the Ravens have their immediate replacement with Tavon Young coming back from injury. Young has also had trouble staying healthy in his four-years in the NFL (missed two full seasons with injury), but when he’s on the field he’s arguably the best nickel-cornerback in the league. Young’s return will be huge for Baltimore and help ease the loss of Smith.
Byron Jones is the big name on the Free Agency market, but the Ravens aren’t in any need of spending premium money on a position they have locked down. Instead, Baltimore could grab a second-tier guy like Bradley Roby to provide more the depth they’re looking for. Roby is similar to Smith in a variety of ways, something that could entice the team, even more, to bring him in on a cheaper deal.
The 2020 NFL Draft’s cornerback class has a ton of second-tier players to take Baltimore’s attention on day two of the draft. If the Ravens decide to take one early, Trevon Diggs is in the mold of the type of corner the team loves. It helps that he played at Alabama, a school the team loves to draft talent out of. Diggs would be a fun pick for the Ravens, and his ball skills would make him a welcome addition to their loaded secondary.