The Baltimore Ravens signed Ronald Darby in a move that essentially had to happen. The team had almost no depth due to the health issues on the roster, and Darby was easily one of the biggest names still available to sign. Now that Darby is with the team, what should fans know?
3. Ronald Darby brings an injury question mark to the Baltimore Ravens
If the Baltimore Ravens thought that they were getting out of the injury business at cornerback when they signed Darby, they are mistaken. The main reason Daby has not signed anywhere yet is tied to his injuries.
Darby is coming off of a torn ACL in 2022. That occurred in week five, after 280 snaps. In 2021, he missed time early in the season with a hamstring injury and played just 675 snaps. So, he has played 955 snaps in the past two seasons. To put that into comparison, he played 1,002 snaps in 2020 alone.
The Ravens did not sign the healthiest name. He is not only coming off the ACL; he will be 29 years old to start this season. So, there is a case to be made that he will not get the step back, even after he has fully recovered from the ACL. It goes deeper than that, though.
Darby has started 16 games in a season just once. He played 11 games in 2019, nine in 2018, and seven in 2017, So, the Ravens should not even anticipate a full season from Darby at this point. That stings when you factor in that he is the answer to their injury issues. At the same time, if he can buy them a couple of weeks it could get them to Humphrey returning.