Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is expected to miss the beginning of the 2023 NFL campaign after undergoing foot surgery, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Humphrey will likely miss “a little over a month,” meaning he’ll probably be sidelined for the first two or three games of the season.
Marlon Humphrey Injury Update
Humphrey finished yesterday’s joint practice against the Washington Commanders and spoke to the media after the session. He didn’t mention a potential injury, and the specific nature of his ailment is still unclear.
By far Baltimore’s best cornerback, Humphrey earned the third Pro Bowl appearance of his career in 2022. The former first-round pick made first-team All-Pro in 2019 and led the NFL in forced fumbles (eight) the following year.
Humphrey was the only Ravens’ CB to post a PFF coverage grade over 70.0 last season. Marcus Peters, the only other Baltimore cornerback to manage a coverage grade over 61.0, has since signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Humphrey obliterates a lead blocker pic.twitter.com/QfxIUO2zXe
— Kyle Phoenix Barber (@KylePBarber) August 15, 2023
If Humphrey misses the first month of the season, he’ll be absent for games against the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and Baltimore Ravens.
Intradivisional games against the Bengals and Ravens present the most significant challenges, as Baltimore could be forced to defend Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Amari Copper, Elijah Moore, and others without Humphrey in the backfield.
Baltimore’s defense began to click down the stretch of last season, and Humphrey was a vital part of that effort. After ranking 26th in defensive EPA per play before their Week 10 bye, the Ravens improved to eighth from Weeks 11-18.
The Ravens Have a Ton of CB Injuries
Baltimore could theoretically get by for a few games without Humphrey if their defensive backfield were healthy everywhere else — but it isn’t.
Rock Ya-Sin, signed over the offseason to compete for the No. 2 CB role, is dealing with a knee injury and doesn’t appear close to returning to action. Damarion Williams underwent a second surgery on his ankle this week that, while not season-ending, will delay the start of his 2023 campaign.
Meanwhile, Arthur Maulet (hamstring) and Jalyn Armour-Davis (undisclosed) are also managing injury-related issues. However, head coach John Harbaugh said both corners are “really close” to coming back to practice.
Baltimore’s top healthy cornerbacks are now Brandon Stephens and Kevon Seymour.
Stephens was supposed to transition back to safety this offseason but played 54 snaps at outside corner in the Ravens’ preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Seymour has appeared in 56 career games but has made just seven starts.
The Ravens claimed cornerback Tae Hayes off waivers from the Detroit Lions on Monday, but the former undrafted free agent has played just 207 defensive snaps over three NFL seasons.
If Baltimore wants to add a free agent, they could consider veterans like William Jackson III, who met with the Ravens last week. Casey Hayward, Cameron Dantzler, Troy Hill, Bryce Callahan, and Anthony Brown also remain available.