You’ve heard of Baltimore Ravens cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, but have you heard of Anthony Averett?
Behind two Pro Bowlers who make up arguably the best cornerback duo in the league, Averett has been quietly climbing the depth chart by being a consistent performer in the secondary.
In a star-studded cornerback unit, Averett continues to step up to the occasion. He’s more than just a body filling in for injured starters — throughout camp, he’s been making a name for himself as another very talented corner alongside Humphrey, Peters, Jimmy Smith, and Tavon Young.
His recent standout performances even earned the praise of Wink Martindale, who believes the fourth-year corner has “All-Pro talent.”
Ravens DC Don Martindale told the defense that Anthony Averett is the third-best corner on the team.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 17, 2021
“I think he has All-Pro talent,” Martindale said.
Ravens will depend on Averett even more with injuries at corner.
That’s a hell of a compliment from your very own defensive coordinator.
Averett faces arguably the toughest competition in the Ravens’ secondary, what with veterans throwing their weight around and rookies raring to go. Baltimore drafted Brandon Stephens out of SMU in the third round and Shaun Wade from Ohio State in the fifth round.
Baltimore Ravens cornerback unit could be set for the future with Anthony Averett
The Ravens additionally added undrafted safety Ar’Darius Washington and cornerback Chris Westry in the offseason, who each had a solid performance in Baltimore’s preseason win over the New Orleans Saints last weekend.
But Averett might offer more value to the Ravens given his consistency in recent years. Averett enters his fourth season as one of the Ravens’ top reserves, playing only 30 games so far. In 2020, Averett played in 10 games and recorded career highs in passes defended and tackles.
He ended that season ranked as the 50th best cornerback in the league, per Pro Football Focus, which is better than many teams’ starting corners.
Averett is no stranger to biding his time, and he recently spoke out about how he blossomed late in college at Alabama:
"“I sat for plenty of years, then I got my chance got my opportunity, and I never left the field after that. [There’s] nothing wrong with sitting back and just actually learning, and that’s what I pretty much did, and now you see the outcome.”"
For now, Averett revels in his position as a reserve and is just waiting in the wings as Humphrey and Peters enjoy a hopefully injury-free season.
Averett will battle it out against veteran and oft-injured Jimmy Smith for defensive snaps this season, but he’s not worried at all.
After Martindale’s comments, Averett knows he’ll get his chance to make an impact. The name of his game is patience.