Nobody expected the unexpected and that's why we all landed a low blow as John Harbaugh confirmed the news: Baltimore Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey underwent surgery on his foot on Wednesday and is expected to miss at least one month.
Good news have emerged early on Thursday, though, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first breaking the news of Baltimore getting ready to host former Denver Broncos and free-agent CB Ronald Darby today.
Following the injury to star CB Marlon Humphrey, the #Ravens are hosting FA CB Ronald Darby today, source said. There is a need.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2023
"The #Ravens are hosting FA CB Ronald Darby today, source said," wrote Rapoport. "There is a need," he added as if we didn't know about that already.
Given the advanced stage of the offseason, the Ravens are facing a significant challenge in locating a quality cornerback who is available either through free agency or trade.
This is something the franchise already knows about and well, as the cornerback room was already thin before Humphrey's injury and now looks absolutely and completely empty of talented players.
Earlier today, I discussed three possible targets to fill the cornerback room and add a talented player to the Ravens secondary that the franchise should explore. No. 1 in the list? Ronald Darby.
The former Bronco will play in 2023 aged 30 years old, which is far from bad in terms of experience and physical prime. He has already visited the Titans and the Vikings, but the fact that it took less than 12 hours for the Ravens and him to agree to a visit on Thursday following Humphrey's injury is very encouraging.
Darby suffered an ACL tear that prematurely concluded his season after just five games in 2022, adding to his existing record of injuries throughout his professional career. That's worrying at offers a solid reason for concern, but again, the Ravens are not in a position where they can be picky about adding the perfect cornerback to their roster.
Over the last two seasons, Darby amassed 67 tackles, deflected nine passes, and forced a fumble. The challenge, however, lies in the fact that these statistics were accumulated over a combined total of 16 games during his time in Denver, which is suboptimal.
But again, there is no player available on the free market this late into the offseason that boasts a better skill set than Darby, let alone that is willing to sign with the Ravens for what could be just a temporary gig ending the minute Humphrey is back.
Here's to hoping Baltimore can convince Darby through the day and he leaves the facilities on his way to the hotel he's booked with a deal under his arm.
Darby needs that contract as much as the Ravens need his talents. Win-win. Let's make it happen, folks.