[News] Ravens Still Looking To Add Cornerbacks

[BR News]

General Manager Ozzie Newsome was asked whether former Patriot Kyle Arrington would be of interest.

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[Joeyfootball81]

ARRINGTON!!!

[ellicottraven]

I heard the conference call as it was streamed on the site. I think there was a specific question about Arrington by a caller. While Ozzie didn't directly respond to him, he said that he would be looking to add CBs and that calls were being made to several available ones. My guess is Ozzie must have already reached out to Arrington's agents. Whether he becomes a Raven or not is anybody's guess. It depends on his asking price and the value Ozzie places on his worth to the Ravens. Right player, right price etc. etc.

[stixfix69]

Oz never shows his hand until a deal is done, Arrington still might be out of our price range, with more needy teams with more cap space can offer him more....

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

Oz always has picked up good players late and I expect the same thing this year. It could be a big name guy or someone not many people have heard of but they will have a real chance to contribute if they are brought in.

[hen826957]

Arrington should come to the Ravens he was born here and a great organization know as the Ravens. This is a better situation then the Patriots right now. I hope Ozzie at least call him.

[EdBallhawkReed20]

I would say work with what you got if your the Ravens. I have full confidence that Asa Jackson and Rashard Melvin will step up and be future stars in the NFL. Fans love a player until you see someone you think is better become available. The real question in the secondary this year is can Ladarius Webb fully recover from both ACL tears. The answer through performance based on last year has been "No." Matt Elam I believe was dealt a bad hand since he played in Baltimore in my opinion. He was supposed to play SS and played FS and CB his first two years. In his defense I would love to see him get some consistency at his own position. Also, like any other secondary player in the league. It takes time to develop at a minimum three years. Thats the difference between an offensive draft pick and a defensive draft pick. You can expect an immediate impact from most of the players we got on offense this year. Defense however, it is extremely rare for a player to have an immediate impact unless his team just sucks. Ladarius Webb took a few years to get as good as he is today. I remember when he used to get toasted and his recovery speed saved him from giving up touchdowns. Thats only thing that kept Ladarius Webb from being Chykie Brown. Jimmy Smith in my opinion was garbage until that pass he stopped for the Ravens to win the Superbowl. The next year he played outstanding and became a shutdown CB. If you replace those guys with Kyle Arrington they never become stars. Point blank you have to allow players on defense time to develop.

[RavensReck27]

Obviously Arrington is the most appealing option. He is a big name CB from a winning franchise, only 28 years old, cap casualty, and we can get him for cheap. Signing Arrington would finally fill the hole that has not been filled since Graham left. Plus he is great on special teams just like Graham was. I don't know what Ozzie has up his sleeve, but Arrington just makes too much sense not to consider. Most importantly, we have enough cap room left to realistically bring him in.

[Nick04263]

Arrington is the BEST option RIGHT now. Meaning he will probably want to much for his production. June cuts are coming up and those cap casualties will start happening as vets are replaced by young draft picks. Just my take but I say wait it out which is something Ozzie is not afraid to do. We aren't playing a game next Sunday.

[huntrgathrr]

Jackson, Webb, Melvin and the rest of that bunch are 2nd tier corners. As long as Smith is healthy any of them will do. If he's not, none of them will suffice. There is no point in adding another 2nd tier corner, we have a handful. Arrington is probably at that level. The only thing that will improve the team is adding a top level corner like Jones from Texas if he comes available. Other than that we are deep at 2nd rate corners.

[RavensReck27]

Arrington is from Maryland, and the idea of going to another winning team should interest him. My only concern is that he just got a ring with the Patriots, and he might just be looking for a max money deal. Either way, Ozzie has back up plans so deep that sometimes he doesn't even know what is up his sleeve.

[cushrinada1986]

Kyle could be that missing pieces, you add in both our starters staying healthy, along with our improved offense, you have a dangerous team right here that could really challenge for the SB this year. I am thinking Broncos are gonna be in for a possible blow out if this team comes together early.

[hen826957]

@crushrinada1986 Arrington is the missing piece Ozzie needs to sign him

[Joey Flac]

tomorrow Arrington will probably be signed since it's the opening of unrestricted free agent signing.. hope we can land him. He could instantly contribute and allow Pees to have some options at slot and #2 corner

[RavensReck27]

Kyle could be that missing pieces, you add in both our starters staying healthy, along with our improved offense, you have a dangerous team right here that could really challenge for the SB this year. I am thinking Broncos are gonna be in for a possible blow out if this team comes together early.

I agree that Arrington would fill that CB slot role that we have been weak at since Graham left. Arrington would be a great piece to our secondary.  Hold your horses about the blowing out of the Broncos, though.  Although I do think our team will be the best team we have had in years, the Broncos are one of the best teams in the league, and we are going into their house.  They are coming off a bad loss in the playoffs, and are going to be hungry.  I still think we are going to win, but it will be a tough game nonetheless. 

[power600]

Trust the front office!

[purplejay91]

Someone will get cut down the road be it cap casualty or fax machine screw up etc etc. We'll get a good one before the season starts. Patience is the name of the game at this stage of the off season

[BallsoHard622]

Adding Arrington wouldn't be to bad but he's no better than what we have rite now. We need to add a veteran like Jonathan Joseph if he gets let go from the Texans. It would be nice if we could add a veteran corner that has a couple of years left that's capable of taking over for jimmy or webby in case of injury someone like Corey graham but cheaper.

[RavensReck27]

Jackson, Webb, Melvin and the rest of that bunch are 2nd tier corners. As long as Smith is healthy any of them will do. If he's not, none of them will suffice. There is no point in adding another 2nd tier corner, we have a handful. Arrington is probably at that level. The only thing that will improve the team is adding a top level corner like Jones from Texas if he comes available. Other than that we are deep at 2nd rate corners.

I'd say Arrington is a top 10 slot CB in the league.  The only downside about him, and the reason why he doesn't get paid that much, is because he can only really play slot.  He is on a Asa Jackson type level when he plays on the wings.

[Asmodeus71]

Just hope Jimmy returns in the same form he was last year. Last year I think he was a top five CB. Be nice if Webb could get back to the player he was a few years ago before his injuries. Webb is a multi-tasking DB, who can work with safeties and switch up from cover the blitz or run defense. When he is healthy that is his strength, that is what makes him valuable. Those two healthy and what we have can handle the slot. Tray Walker could be good on the outside on receivers who don't play well against the press. also, putting Webb in the slot. This would give Webb more freedom to make changes with LBs and Safeties to do what he does best. Somebody else would be nice find but staying healthy is what matters the most.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Asmodeus71

[FLBoyRaven]

I agree we dont have any glaring needs, but depth at cb nowdays is just to valueable. I have faith in the guys we have now just like I did last yr but you cannever account for those injuries. Adding a vet like Arrington will only make us better, but how much is he asking!?

[Purple&Black]

Arrington struggled on the outside for the Pats, but was a force in the slot. Especially in the playoffs. It's exactly the role he could play for us. To me it's a smart move. I doubt we will have mass casualties at the CB position like last year, that was a fluke. However, Smith and Webb do have a history of injury and having a a few solid backups will not hurt in the least bit

[harfordravenfan]

Just hope Jimmy returns in the same form he was last year. Last year I think he was a top five CB. Be nice if Webb could get back to the player he was a few years ago before his injuries. Webb is a multi-tasking DB, who can work with safeties and switch up from cover the blitz or run defense. When he is healthy that is his strength, that is what makes him valuable. Those two healthy and what we have can handle the slot. Tray Walker could be good on the outside also, putting Webb in the slot of receivers who don't play well against the press. Somebody else would be nice find but staying healthy is what matters the most.

Agreed and why I was hoping for a vet cb to play the outside to allow Webb to play slot.

[trevorsteadman]

I wonder if the Ravens are waiting to see the first part of training camps and seeing if Elam improved at all... He was playing a nickel cornerback role last season. I wouldn't be surprised if Elam stays at cornerback considering we have Lewis and Hill at safety pretty much locked.

[MissRay27]

More competition is always better. Ozzie is always stirring the pot!

[edo_jumpman]

I'll say this, on offense, I'd like James Jones added to the mix. Other than SSS, all other guys are unproven. Jones would be that 2nd or 3rd guy with great experiance, and maybe at bargain price.

[RavenManiac#7]

Quite a few people have suggested that Webby might be most effective being our CB covering the slot, and that might be right. But, as of now, the way the roster is set up, I think he'd be lined up opposite Smith. That would leave probably Asa, but who knows, playing inside. I think Arrington would be a good pick up for us. He's a veteran with plenty of football left, been a starter for, what, 6 years, and would probably be an upgrade over Asa. That would remain to be seen, of course, but he's definitely a player Ozzie is probably inquiring about. At least, that would be my guess. Have no idea what kind of money he'd want. I don't think he'll be the only veteran, by any means, that Ozzie will see about bringing in. I really think Someone's coming.

[Tenacious Faulker]

Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington Kyle Arrington...please!

[RavenManiac#7]

I'll say this, on offense, I'd like James Jones added to the mix. Other than SSS, all other guys are unproven. Jones would be that 2nd or 3rd guy with great experiance, and maybe at bargain price.

I don't think he's needed. We have just So many young guys it just seems like a few of them Have to pan out. There's just so much potential there. Even if we were to, heaven forbid, lose SSS to injury, his presence would still be there in the locker room and on the sidelines to mentor our young talent. Before the draft, I was feeling the same way as you, concerned about our lack of experience at the position. But now, the sheer numbers, amount of potential we Have seen from our young guys, and the quality I think is reasonable to expect from the new ones, leaves us sitting pretty well as far as pass catchers go. But, hey, that's just one guy's opinion. I just think the competition for the roster spots is already going to be pretty fierce. Just can't see the need to add yet another one into the mix.

[Halshayeji]

I would say work with what you got if your the Ravens. I have full confidence that Asa Jackson and Rashard Melvin will step up and be future stars in the NFL. Fans love a player until you see someone you think is better become available. The real question in the secondary this year is can Ladarius Webb fully recover from both ACL tears. The answer through performance based on last year has been "No." Matt Elam I believe was dealt a bad hand since he played in Baltimore in my opinion. He was supposed to play SS and played FS and CB his first two years. In his defense I would love to see him get some consistency at his own position. Also, like any other secondary player in the league. It takes time to develop at a minimum three years. Thats the difference between an offensive draft pick and a defensive draft pick. You can expect an immediate impact from most of the players we got on offense this year. Defense however, it is extremely rare for a player to have an immediate impact unless his team just sucks. Ladarius Webb took a few years to get as good as he is today. I remember when he used to get toasted and his recovery speed saved him from giving up touchdowns. Thats only thing that kept Ladarius Webb from being Chykie Brown. Jimmy Smith in my opinion was garbage until that pass he stopped for the Ravens to win the Superbowl. The next year he played outstanding and became a shutdown CB. If you replace those guys with Kyle Arrington they never become stars. Point blank you have to allow players on defense time to develop.

 

1- Melvin and Jackson both showed flashes of promise before they got hurt. But to say they are ready to handle #1 or 2 WRs in the NFL is a reach. You said yourself that it takes more than a few games for secondary players to adjust to he NFL level. They are certainly not ready to face starting WRs if Webb or Smith get hurt for a long period. I like keeping them but very skeptical when it comes to throwing them in the fire.

 

2- Webb's knees are fully recovered. It was a bad back that held him back last year. To me, a bad back is worse than a torn ACL because it never really heals 100% (A player learns how to adjust to it). But the encouraging thing is that Webb played much more fluidly towards the end of the season than when he first came back from his injury. If Webb gets 80 or 90% of his old form, he'd still be one of the best #2 CB's in the NFL.

 

3- Defensive players actually pann out sooner than Offensive players. Linebackers, Pass Rushers, and Dlinemen routinely have immediate Day 1 impact. Secondary players are the ones that usually struggle to adjust. On offense, Quarterbacks, Linemen, and receivers all struggle adjusting to the NFL. Maxx William will go through growing pains, Perriman will have impact because hes a deep threat but don't think for a second that he will have a solid all around game until he develops it.