Baltimore Ravens: What’s next now without Earl Thomas

Potential Earl Thomas replacements:

Two veteran free agents who are former Ravens are both on the market looking for new homes. Brandon Carr and Tony Jefferson have recently been on the team and have helped the likes of Marlon Humphrey, Tavon Young, and Clark develop into the players they are now. Carr started to make a transition to safety last season and found success. This year look for Jimmy Smith to fill that versatile role, as long as the team stays healthy, and a player like Carr can ease the transition for Smith, or Deshon Elliot to take over as the team’s free safety next to Clark.

Jefferson on the other hand, struggles in coverage and is coming off a serious knee injury, but is beloved by the organization. He could bring instant leadership and help ease the burden on Clark. With Jefferson, there are two major issues to consider. His injury is one, he needs to be able to pass a physical and get ready for the start of the season at light speed. The other is his coverage liabilities. With Jefferson, they would need to play Clark in coverage more often which would hurt his ability to communicate with the front-seven. But Jefferson’s impact as a leader may be worth taking a chance on.

Currently on the team are safeties Anthony Levine Sr., Geno Stone, Jordan Richards, and Elliot. Levine is the most notable of the group as he is one of the longest-tenured Ravens dating back to 2012 and the Super Bowl run. He has signed two contract extensions with the team since and his contract expires this year. He has found success as a dime player and a situational player along with being nicknamed “Co-Cap” and leading the special teams. Levine in the past has helped cover for injuries and poor play and this could be his last chance at significant defensive playing time.

Stone is the Ravens seventh-round pick this past year and although many people love the selection, by no means is he a lock to make the roster. With many tight position battles, bringing in a vet may hurt Stone’s chances of making the team. As seen before Eric DeCosta doesn’t mind cutting the plug on draft picks early if they do not fit the team (see Daylon Mack). With that said, Stone is beloved by the analytics community and plays with great instincts and effort, similar to Clark coming out of college. Stone may take time to develop and might not even make the team, but if he can, he will be provided opportunities to make a big impact now.

Richards was acquired via waivers last season from the Patriots after they signed Bethel, after we released him. He was a special teams contributor and only played a handful of defensive snaps. He will be given an opportunity this training camp to prove himself but the younger options may prevail. Richards is a good special teams contributor, but most likely isn’t the Ravens answer for losing Earl Thomas.

The final in house option is Elliott. This training camp and last buzz about him is running rampant. Elliott was a sixth-round out of Texas. He is a hard hitter, he has a lot of speed and plays very instinctively as well. Many veterans reportedly believe he deserves more reps, especially now with the issues occurring. Elliott will most likely take the majority of the starting safety reps next to Clark for the time being. For Elliott, it will be all about staying healthy and making the most of his opportunities.

The Ravens often say it, “it’s next man up” and Elliott is that man for now. At 6’2 210-lbs., Elliott has played in big games at Texas and did a little bit of everything. In three seasons he had 2.5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, and nine interceptions with six in his senior season. Elliott has all the tools and support; we just need to see him put it together on the field. Similar to Levine, Elliott must step up to the task or they will find someone else.