1. Ravens free-agent target: Darqueze Dennard
Dre Kirkpatrick isn’t the only former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick on this list. 2014 first-round pick Darqueze Dennard remains available despite some very solid play in recent weeks.
Dennard is teammates with Brian Poole on the Colts practice squad which probably gives Indianapolis the most experienced and talented practice squad secondary in the NFL.
And much like Poole, it’s hard to believe that Dennard isn’t on an active roster.
The 30-year-old spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons playing eight games in an injury-riddled campaign. But when he was on the field, Dennard was a more-than-capable cornerback.
Dennard finished with a 66.0 Pro Football Focus grade that ranked 45th among all cornerbacks in the NFL. This came one year after he received a 72.2 PFF grade that was 21st in the NFL.
In fact, since 2017, Dennard has never received a PFF grade below 66.0 in a season. Again, it’s very surprising that he isn’t on a team’s 53-man roster.
Now, much like Poole, Dennard has primarily been a slot cornerback in his career. But he proved last year that he can thrive both outside and inside.
Dennard played 278 of his 452 snaps on the boundary which marked the highest total of his career. He’s experienced, versatile, and has been playing at a pretty high level.
The Ravens won’t find many better options right now than Darqueze Dennard. If they make any notable addition to replace Marlon Humphrey, it should be him.