Brandon Stephens’ tenure with the Baltimore Ravens was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. After signing a three-year, $36 million contract with the New York Jets, his performance has come under scrutiny.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport recently named Stephens among the worst free-agent signings of the offseason, highlighting concerns about his on-field contributions.
In 2024, Stephens allowed nearly 65% of passes thrown his way to be completed, surrendering career-highs in yards and touchdowns. His passer rating against exceeded 100 for the second time in four years. As Davenport succinctly put it:
“Stephens is a bigger cornerback at 6’1”. But that’s about the only thing he had going for him a year ago. Stephens was the weak link in the Ravens secondary last year, allowing almost 65 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed, allowing career-highs in yards in touchdowns and posting a passer rating against over 100 for the second time in four years.
It’s not going to take New York’s opponents long to figure out that targeting Stephens is the smart play—and $12 million a season is a lot to pay a guy to get roasted like Mr. Peanut.”
Simply put, Stephens is gone, and the Ravens aren’t necessarily losing sleep over it.
Ravens must replace Brandon Stephens
Baltimore’s front office clearly didn’t see enough in Stephens’ 2024 tape to justify a second contract. His numbers weren't great. A 107.4 passer rating allowed. Career highs in yards and touchdowns given up. Ranked 174th out of 222 corners in PFF coverage grade. Letting him walk stung—but for $12 million a year, that was definitely the right move.
So what now?
Enter Chidobe Awuzie. The former Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys starter signed with Baltimore on a veteran-minimum deal after getting cut by the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is still picking up most of his tab. He’s 29, experienced, and should be healthy again. And in Baltimore, he’ll compete for a starting job—likely opposite first-round pick Nate Wiggins.
The Ravens also have some in-house options. Second-year corner T.J. Tampa was viewed as a mid-round steal last year, and Jalyn Armour-Davis, while inconsistent, still has upside if he can stay on the field. It’s a young group, but one with potential.
Don’t be shocked if Baltimore doubles down in the draft, either. Benjamin Morrison out of Notre Dame checks a lot of Ravens' boxes. Physical. Instinctive. Productive. If he’s there on Day 2, he’d make a ton of sense as a future starting boundary corner. There's also Ole Miss' Trey Amos, Iowa State's Dorien Porter, and Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston.
Baltimore’s pass defense needs to take a step forward in 2025—and not overpaying for Stephens might’ve been the smartest move they made all offseason. He got paid, the Ravens didn’t counter, and now they’re using a cheaper approach to hopefully build something better. The Jets paid top dollar for a corner the Ravens felt like they could live without. That says it all.