The worst possible news came out of left field on Wednesday and were confirmed by Head Coach John Harbaugh following the second and final joint practice with the Washington Commanders: Marlon Humphrey is undergoing foot surgery and out for one month (if not more).
This late into the offseason, it's going to be mightily hard for the Ravens to find any quality cornerback available on the free-agent market, let alone via trade.
That said, it's not that Baltimore isn't known for pulling off bold moves under the guidance of a determined GM in Eric DeCosta.
If you remember, EDC was in tow when the Ravens traded for Joe Flacco back in 2008, agreed with former GM Ozzie Newsome in trading to pick Lamar Jackson in 2018, and he was named NFL Executive of the Year as recently as in May 2020. This guy knows what he's doing, folks.
Here are three potential free agents still available that could help the Ravens next season if Baltimore can find a way to convince them to join the Flock Nation through the next couple of weeks ahead of the regular-season kick-off.
1. Ronald Darby (29 years old, Denver Broncos)
The former Bronco has recently visited the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Texans and seems to be on the verge of inking a deal with an NFL franchise following a long summer of thinking and pondering his options.
Judging by reports out there, Darby is generating tons of interest these days, which is reasonable considering the regular season is just a few weeks away from kicking off in early September.
Darby had to forfeit a few games last year after his season came to an abrupt end following an ACL tear adding another injury to his already-long list of healthy woes throughout his pro career.
Through the past two seasons, though, Darby completed 67 tackles and deflected 9 throws while also forcing one fumble. The problem, of course, is that he did that in 16 games combined while in Denver, which is not optimal.
However, if the Ravens can sign Darby to a deal that favors his usage early in the season while Humphrey recovers and then doesn't cost to cut him later in the year if needed, that'd be a great business for Baltimore.