Why DeAndre Houston-Carson could make the Baltimore Ravens 53-man roster
The Baltimore Ravens signed safety DeAndre Houston-Carson to a one-year deal after working out multiple safeties. Houston-Carson joins Angelo Blackson and Sam Mustipher as players from the Chicago Bears who signed with the team late into the offseason. He was a sixth-round pick by the Chicago Bears and has been with the team since 2016.
Baltimore Ravens sign DeAndre Houston-Carson
Houston-Carson has been in the NFL for seven years, going on his eighth season. However, he has just 999 snaps. The good news is that 834 of those snaps came in the past two seasons. Still, this shows that he should be viewed as a depth signing. Still, he has consistently made NFL rosters and has 1,787 snaps; the Baltimore Ravens should consider him a real threat to make the roster.
The reasoning is pretty simple: the team has no depth at safety. First, they have Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. Beyond that, Brandon Stephens is moving from safety back to cornerback, considering he played nearly every snap there in the preseason opener.
Geno Stone is usually a reliable third safety, but he is inured, and UDFA Jaquan Amos struggled in his preseason debut before missing practice with an injury as well.
So, safety three, four, and five on the depth chart are technically all out of the picture. Daryl Worley played safety for the Ravens and got every snap on the field. However, he is moving from cornerback to safety, so this is all very new to him.
It is taking adjusting, and he is not a lock for the roster. Houston-Carson brings a stabling force of health, special teams floor, and rotational safety upside.
The Baltimore Ravens may look to get DHC on the field in the box, and then use Kyle Hamilton in the slot. They have issues in the slot, and Houston-Carson in the box may end up being the better option compared to someone like Ar'Darius Washington in the slot.
Either way, while Houston-Carson is not a big-name signing, his experience and resume are stronger than Washington and Worley, and both of them have strong shots at making the roster where things stand. DeAndre Houston-Carson probably saw the Ravens' landscape at cornerback and decided that he had a good chance to make the team. This is a good fit, and Houston-Carson might not only make the roster, he may see the field on Sundays.