1. Anthony Averett, CB, Ravens
The Ravens are dangerously thin at cornerback following the release of Tavon Young earlier in the week and that depth is likely to be further tested in a few days.
Anthony Averett is set to hit free agency and all indications are that he won’t be back with the Ravens in 2022. His price tag is simply expected to be too high.
A fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Averett battled injuries early in his career and played mostly a part-time role, starting a handful of games in 2019 and 2020.
He was given a golden opportunity, though, in 2021 following a torn ACL suffered by Marcus Peters prior to the start of the season. All of a sudden, Averett was penciled in as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks opposite Marlon Humphrey.
And when Humphrey went down with a season-ending injury of his own, Averett was suddenly thrust into the role of a No. 1 cornerback. The results were expectedly mixed.
While Averett had his moments, he also struggled at times and did play a role in Baltimore finishing with the 32nd-ranked pass defense in the NFL. Still, the 27-year-old is expected to have a pretty robust market.
One team that could be interested is the Giants who might be looking for cornerback help. If James Bradberry is traded, they’ll need a new starter opposite Adoree’ Jackson. Averett has plenty of experience with Martindale and could fit in perfectly in the Giants’ new defensive system.
Martindale even remarked that Averett had “All-Pro talent” this past summer so it’s clear that his former coach remains high on him.
It wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to see the Giants sign Anthony Averett this offseason.