Baltimore Ravens 2020 season outlook: Marcus Peters

Marcus Peters was a huge get for the Baltimore Ravens midway through the 2019 season and now looks to be one of the defense’s biggest strengths in 2020.

Marcus Peters has had himself a rollercoaster of a career. Peters tied for the league lead in interceptions as a rookie (2015) with eight en route to a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selection. After his terrific rookie season, he became a very inconsistent player. For every big-play he made he alternatively gave one up. It’s one of the reasons he bounced around to three different teams between 2017 and 2019.

It was Marcus Peters’s third stop with the Baltimore Ravens that he seemingly put it all together.

Peters was masterful for the Ravens in his ten games played, intercepting three passes and taking two to the house. Peters averaged a ridiculous 59.3 yards per interception return and broke up another 10 passes. It was no doubt Peters’s best season of his career and in all honesty, he should’ve received some votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

Considering Baltimore already had an elite cornerback in Marlon Humphrey on the roster prior to Marcus Peters’s acquisition it was putting a hat on a hat in a tremendous secondary. In fact, there were times where Peters outshined his partner in crime…

For his efforts, the Ravens rewarded Marcus Peters with a three-year deal worth $42 million. Peters is one of many highly paid players in Baltimore’s secondary, but his playmaking skills make him stand out from the rest of the pack. It’s those playmaking skills that will have him in highlight reels all year long.

The thing that makes Marcus Peters so special is the ability to score when the ball is in his hands, and that’s a common occurrence for him. Of Peters 27 career interceptions he’s returned six of them for touchdowns. Peters also has an absurd career average of 29.5 yards per interception return. When you pick on Peters, he makes you pay.

This is why I believe that 2020 will be Peters’s best season yet. Peters has only gotten better each year in the league and learned from his mistakes to become an elite coverage player. Peters is also playing across from the aforementioned Humphrey, as well as All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. Teams will be very selective where they throw the ball and if they toss it at Peters it’s a fatal mistake.

There simply isn’t a lot of reason to believe that Peters will flop in 2020. On the contrary, he should thrive and be looked at as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. Maybe this year he’ll get some DPOY love.

Marcus Peters will be looking to prove he’s not just a flash in the pan for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. Following a big payday, there will be hefty expectations on the 27-year old. I suspect that Peters has simply entered his prime and his best football is yet to come. In a full 16 games with the Ravens, I’m betting on him to put up big numbers and show the league why he’s one of the best in the business.

Marcus Peters 2020 projected stats: 50 tackles, five interceptions, 20 pass deflections, two touchdowns