The Baltimore Ravens were one of the most flawed teams in football in 2025. From the top down, the team lacked any sort of consistency. It led to one of the most disappointing years in franchise history.
One player who took an obvious stepback last season was cornerback Marlon Humphrey. After an All-Pro campaign in 2024, he followed that up with a downright horrendous showing in 2025. He was one of the worst corners in the game and was picked on nonstop.
However, there could be a glimmer of hope that Humphrey bounces back in 2026. Not only was last year riddled with injuries, but the coaching staff often put the players in a position to fail. In an interview with Bobby Trosset and Sarah Ellison on The Vault, NFL Hall of Famer and Ravens legend Rod Woodson broke down what led to Humphrey’s struggles.
“I know this past year, they went back to the old school way of playing him on the low hip, which I'm not a fan of,” Woodson said. “I still think [Humphrey] can play. I think if he plays on the upfield shoulder like he did in previous years, he plays his best football…I just think asking him to play on the low hip put him in a bad spot, especially when you don't have the same foot speed as you had four or five years ago.”
When asked about Humphrey’s adjustment from 2024 to 2025, Woodson put it on the coaching staff.
“That's a defensive coaching adjustment…A technical adjustment.”
If Woodson’s on the money, better things could be on the way for Humphrey in 2026.
Rod Woodson gives reason to believe that Marlon Humphrey can rebound next season
The defensive coaching adjustments clearly didn’t work. Both Humphrey and second-year corner Nate Wiggins were near the top of lists in total yards allowed in coverage throughout the 2025 season. In Humphrey’s case, he also gave up countless big plays over the top.
Humphrey also sustained several injuries in 2025, which also didn’t help with the coverages that defensive coordinator Zach Orr and company tried to implement. He injured his calf in Week 4, dealt with a finger injury for much of the year, and was banged up by a knee injury late in the year. Those undoubtedly played a factor in the downturn in his play, along with the decreasing foot speed that Woodson referred to.
The pass rush should get a ton of blame, too; the play up front was inexcusable. They allowed opposing quarterbacks to be cool, calm, and collected, picking apart the secondary with ease. No matter how well Humphrey and others played on certain snaps, the dam would eventually break, and wide receivers would sneak open.
Humphrey did have some moments of success in 2025. He proved he can still ball, tallying four picks. For a defensive unit that lacked many game-changing plays, Humphrey’s interceptions came as a timely boost to stop the bleeding.
There have been reports signaling that Humphrey could be a cap casualty this offseason. He carries a cap hit of just over $26.2 million, and according to Over the Cap, a cut post-June 1 would create about $19.2 million in cap savings. However, getting rid of a key starter when the cornerback room is already shallow could come back to bite them.
Ultimately, while Humphrey may be hitting a bit of a regression curve, he could steer back on the right path with good coaching. Defensive mastermind Jesse Minter was hired as head coach this offseason, meaning there will be a major emphasis put on rebuilding Baltimore’s defense. More likely than not, Minter should have a positive impact on Humphrey and the rest of the unit moving forward.