Marlon Humphrey needs to get back on the right track in 2026. He’s quickly going from one of the Baltimore Ravens brightest stars to one of their biggest question marks.
The veteran’s regression in 2025 was very tough to watch. Injuries threw him for a loop, but even when healthy, he looked way out of sorts. The wild ride culminated in one of the worst cornerback seasons in the NFL, as he allowed the most yards in coverage with 831 yards.
With such a poor season fresh in the mind, and his athleticism potentially taking a hit, it’s fair to wonder if a switch to safety is nearing the horizon. Well, Humphrey was asked about that on Saturday, and openly admitted that he believes he’ll play that position at some point in his career…just not yet.
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey may be inching toward career-defining shift
An eventual shift to safety feels like all but a guarantee at this point. Humphrey’s comments pretty much confirmed that, and with the way his career is trending, it’s probably a likely outcome within the next few years.
Along with having a disastrous showing in 2025, injuries once again ravaged Humphrey’s campaign. He’s been injury-prone in recent seasons. When you combine that with an already aging player at 30 years old, the elite corner that fans all grew to love may be headed for a rapid decline.
Corners also never age well. Once they near or surpass that age-30 mark, a sharp drop-off can usually follows. Darrelle Revis and Josh Norman are prime examples of that over the last decade, and Humphrey, if the struggles follow him into 2026, could soon join that club.
In an effort to hide that potential drop-off, Humphrey taking his talents over to the safety spot may be the best-case scenario for his career. However, if that were to occur, his time would probably run out in Baltimore.
The Ravens have a loaded safety group, and it’s easily one of the best in the NFL. There’s no debating that. Between Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, and Jaylinn Hawkins, there’s talent for days, and Humphrey likely wouldn’t have any room to join the crew.
That reality looks all the more clear when you look at Humphrey’s contract, too. He has one year remaining on his deal, and based on his performance, he’s not exactly a player who is worthy of an extension right now. Baltimore might want to head in a different direction.
It’s entirely possible that Humphrey bounces back and sends a painful reminder to the rest of the NFL about how talented of a defender he is—anything can happen when you go from Zach Orr calling defensive plays to Jesse Minter. However, it’s hard to ignore Father Time coming up to Humphrey’s door, and to keep carving out a role on defense, he may have to give up corner reps in favor of transitioning to safety. And if that happens, his time in Charm City could come to a close.
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