Ravens sign CB Jerraud Powers

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

I like this signing get a guy who has experience and let him compete.

[Wildabeast88]

22 hours ago, redlobster said:

Decent players don't wallow on the market for months typically especially cornerbacks 

He was actually rated 1 spot better than Jimmy last year per PFF 

[redrum52]

On 5/13/2016 at 3:24 PM, Purple_City39 said:

That's a long time on the bench for Arthur Brown

With our luck, Brown plays like Ray Lewis this year and we lose him to FA.

[Tru11]

surprised nobody is playing the injury card right now.

guess its all used up being overused in the other threads.....

[RavensDieHard21]

Depth, depth, and depth! We need it and he is solid so that there isn't a terrible liability out there

[GrimCoconut]

Cool signing. He may amount to nothing or he may be great. He's at least competition and I like competition. He could be cut if he doesn't do better than others. Win win. 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

On 5/14/2016 at 11:06 PM, rmw10 said:

Powers is a decent CB.  Ideally, he's at the back end of your depth chart, but he's battle tested and can come in and play some reasonable football.  He can play in the slot or on the outside.  If he wins a starting job, so be it.  If not, he's very good depth for a team that has been bitten at the position as hard as we have.  He's not a superstar by any means, but he's a serviceable CB and I think we've seen that we should never pass on one of those.

Exactly, started 13 games for the Cards last year, who had one of the best secondaries in the league. Granted, its easier to look good playing alongside those guys, but he has a ton of experience starting and has played both inside and out.

Brings legit competition for snaps at both positions so at the very least will make everyone work harder to earn their snaps, and brings more talent to the depth chart which was otherwise somewhat lacking. And he's got some ball skills which is always a plus for a secondary focused on generating more turnovers.

[Tru11]

44 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Exactly, started 13 games for the Cards last year, who had one of the best secondaries in the league. Granted, its easier to look good playing alongside those guys, but he has a ton of experience starting and has played both inside and out.

Brings legit competition for snaps at both positions so at the very least will make everyone work harder to earn their snaps, and brings more talent to the depth chart which was otherwise somewhat lacking. And he's got some ball skills which is always a plus for a secondary focused on generating more turnovers.

he is pretty injury prone though.

only managed to played all games 2 times in his 7 year career so far if i can remember it correctly....

[Purple_City39]

32 minutes ago, Tru11 said:

he is pretty injury prone though.

only managed to played all games 2 times in his 7 year career so far if i can remember it correctly....

This is true but he's only missed 3 total in the last 3 seasons.  Injury wise, he's trending upwards from his first 4 seasons.

[JoeyFlex5]

The ravens secondary has been ravaged by injuries for years now. We are finally playing it smart and getting quality depth with veteran guys who can be solid in a pinch. No more drafting/UDFA tweener run stopping safeties who slide out to corner and get toasted for days every time our starter gets hurt. We are getting CORNERBACKS who are natural at the position and veterans who don't get wide eyes and crap their pants every time their forced into a starting role they're unfamiliar with. 

 

Signing weddle, moving webb to a position where he's likely to be less injury prone, keeping wright on a respectable deal, drafting a slot guy, keeping Arrington around, and signing powers are all great moves that show the ravens are done playing risky with the secondary. 

 

Also changing the off-season conditioning program and investigating the injuries at the possible source. We're finally being proactive.

[rmw10]

8 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

The ravens secondary has been ravaged by injuries for years now. We are finally playing it smart and getting quality depth with veteran guys who can be solid in a pinch. No more drafting/UDFA tweener run stopping safeties who slide out to corner and get toasted for days every time our starter gets hurt. We are getting CORNERBACKS who are natural at the position and veterans who don't get wide eyes and crap their pants every time their forced into a starting role they're unfamiliar with. 

 

Signing weddle, moving webb to a position where he's likely to be less injury prone, keeping wright on a respectable deal, drafting a slot guy, keeping Arrington around, and signing powers are all great moves that show the ravens are done playing risky with the secondary. 

 

Also changing the off-season conditioning program and investigating the injuries at the possible source. We're finally being proactive.

I do still wish they'd step up and address the long-term need, though.  Jimmy in 2011 has been our last really big investment at the position.  Otherwise, it's been stop gaps and mid to late round rookies.  At some point, we need to find someone that can be a fixture in the lineup.  We've been entirely too passive at the position for my liking.

[trevorsteadman]

6 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I do still wish they'd step up and address the long-term need, though.  Jimmy in 2011 has been our last really big investment at the position.  Otherwise, it's been stop gaps and mid to late round rookies.  At some point, we need to find someone that can be a fixture in the lineup.  We've been entirely too passive at the position for my liking.

I agree that lower CB picks haven't panned out but we have had holes elsewhere that we addressed in the draft. I kind of disagree though because we have a bunch of good cornerbacks that are young and have showed promise. I think Powers will be a great slot corner and he has always been a guy that jumps out at me when watching him play. I honestly was surprised when I saw the bleacher report of us signing him. I hope he performs better than Arrington. Wright played well last season for us after he had a chance to get the playbook under his feet after a poor performance against his former team. Wright is only one year older than Jimmy Smith which is great and we have him for a few seasons now. I really hope that Tavon Young or Maurice Canaday can make the jump though because of Powers is on a one year contract, and I'm sure he outplays the 1.75 million and goes elsewhere like Corey Graham did a few years back. Add in that Arrington has yet to show anything here yet.. We may be in the cornerback search again next season if these rookies don't start performing at the highest level. 

 

The position I have seen us use stop gap players at a lot is at safety. Thank the lord we somehow got Weddle... But it seems like we have 2 different guys starting back their each season. Which a lot of that has to do with first round pick Matt Elam not showing any promise whatsoever.

[rmw10]

4 minutes ago, trevorsteadman said:

I agree that lower CB picks haven't panned out but we have had holes elsewhere that we addressed in the draft. I kind of disagree though because we have a bunch of good cornerbacks that are young and have showed promise. I think Powers will be a great slot corner and he has always been a guy that jumps out at me when watching him play. I honestly was surprised when I saw the bleacher report of us signing him. I hope he performs better than Arrington. Wright played well last season for us after he had a chance to get the playbook under his feet after a poor performance against his former team. Wright is only one year older than Jimmy Smith which is great and we have him for a few seasons now. I really hope that Tavon Young or Maurice Canaday can make the jump though because of Powers is on a one year contract, and I'm sure he outplays the 1.75 million and goes elsewhere like Corey Graham did a few years back. Add in that Arrington has yet to show anything here yet.. We may be in the cornerback search again next season if these rookies don't start performing at the highest level. 

 

The position I have seen us use stop gap players at a lot is at safety. Thank the lord we somehow got Weddle... But it seems like we have 2 different guys starting back their each season. Which a lot of that has to do with first round pick Matt Elam not showing any promise whatsoever.

I get that we've had other holes, but at some point, you have to address the crux that's been hurting us for many years now.  I don't think we've come anywhere close to doing that.  I'm not denying that we might have some decent players in the fold, but I would not consider the position as 'addressed.'  That whole rundown you gave still leads to a lot of question marks and no real answer for the future as it currently stands.

I would disagree entirely with the statement that we've had young CBs that have showed promise.  Who are they?  We haven't had one of those for years, as sad as it is to say.  Maybe Rashaan Melvin was the closest thing to young with promise and we all know how that turned out.

[trevorsteadman]

5 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I get that we've had other holes, but at some point, you have to address the crux that's been hurting us for many years now.  I don't think we've come anywhere close to doing that.  I'm not denying that we might have some decent players in the fold, but I would not consider the position as 'addressed.'  That whole rundown you gave still leads to a lot of question marks and no real answer for the future as it currently stands.

I would disagree entirely with the statement that we've had young CBs that have showed promise.  Who are they?  We haven't had one of those for years, as sad as it is to say.  Maybe Rashaan Melvin was the closest thing to young with promise and we all know how that turned out.

This depends on what you consider young. I consider young anything under 30 years old. It is all by definition. We have Jimmy Smith, Shareece Wright, Jerraud Powers, and Arrington all under 30. Smith has been solid ever since the super bowl year, Wright was really good last season, Powers has always been a solid cornerback his entire career when healthy, and Arrington was really good in New England for a couple seasons but has yet to show anything. All those guys still have 4-5 seasons if not more left in them. 

 

I wouldn't say the cornerback position is what has been holding us back. We did dang well last season. We need to work on redzone defense which I think is more of a safety issue than a cornerback issue. 

[rmw10]

7 minutes ago, trevorsteadman said:

This depends on what you consider young. I consider young anything under 30 years old. It is all by definition. We have Jimmy Smith, Shareece Wright, Jerraud Powers, and Arrington all under 30. Smith has been solid ever since the super bowl year, Wright was really good last season, Powers has always been a solid cornerback his entire career when healthy, and Arrington was really good in New England for a couple seasons but has yet to show anything. All those guys still have 4-5 seasons if not more left in them. 

 

I wouldn't say the cornerback position is what has been holding us back. We did dang well last season. We need to work on redzone defense which I think is more of a safety issue than a cornerback issue. 

Out of that group, Jimmy is the only one I'd even be confident in for the future.  Wright maybe, but he's been awful prior to his stretch with us last year.  I hope the version we got is what we get going forward but I wouldn't consider him anything other than questionable.  Powers and Arrington could be decent, but they're likely only here for a year as it currently stands.  No matter how you look at it, the future at the position is pretty bleak.  I think these guys could play a part, but all I really see are question marks.

No matter how you slice it, CB has been a big issue for us.  Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson, Anthony Levine, Rashaan Melvin - all names that have started at CB for us over the past few years.  That's a pretty big issue.  I get that injuries have played a part, but the young guys we've wanted to step up haven't and we've had to resort to stopgaps to counteract that issue.  Counting on 4th round or later rookies and FAs found late in the market hasn't worked.  Hopefully this year we can buck the trend, but if history is any indication, CB is going to remain a big need yet again next year.

Edited May 20, 2016 by rmw10

[Tiznut]

48 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I do still wish they'd step up and address the long-term need, though.  Jimmy in 2011 has been our last really big investment at the position.  Otherwise, it's been stop gaps and mid to late round rookies.  At some point, we need to find someone that can be a fixture in the lineup.  We've been entirely too passive at the position for my liking.

Think the desire was there with an attempt to go after Ramsey but taking an early round DB isn't going to happen just to take one. 

[rmw10]

11 minutes ago, Tiznut said:

Think the desire was there with an attempt to go after Ramsey but taking an early round DB isn't going to happen just to take one. 

Definitely not saying it's easy, but at some point, you have to do what you have to do to fill a hole.  The FO even admitted after the draft that they'll have to start adjusting their board for CBs since they keep going earlier and earlier.  It's the nature of there not being enough quality guys to go around.

[trevorsteadman]

1 minute ago, rmw10 said:

Definitely not saying it's easy, but at some point, you have to do what you have to do to fill a hole.  The FO even admitted after the draft that they'll have to start adjusting their board for CBs since they keep going earlier and earlier.  It's the nature of there not being enough quality guys to go around.

With a consistent pass rush any average corner can become great. Since 2013 when we lost a lot of key veterans we have been trying to replace them. In 2013 we tried replacing both Reed and Lewis and we ended up with two plays that have yet to see a significant amount of playing time in Elam and Brown. I get that cornerbacks go earlier and I think the front office knows but you can have average corners look great with a pass rush. Very rarely in the league you see guys that are able to look great without at least a middle of the pack pass rush. Now we have Suggs and Dumervil that can retire any moment. I think between veterans and the young draft picks we will be able to create the kind of pass rush we want.

[Tiznut]

13 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

Definitely not saying it's easy, but at some point, you have to do what you have to do to fill a hole.  The FO even admitted after the draft that they'll have to start adjusting their board for CBs since they keep going earlier and earlier.  It's the nature of there not being enough quality guys to go around.

Within reason. Which is why they went db in the 4th. You want to talk about just going after a db and that's why we are waiting for Elam to develop. 

 

They targeted Ramsey and couldn't get them. You don't reach just to reach. 

[rmw10]

1 minute ago, trevorsteadman said:

With a consistent pass rush any average corner can become great. Since 2013 when we lost a lot of key veterans we have been trying to replace them. In 2013 we tried replacing both Reed and Lewis and we ended up with two plays that have yet to see a significant amount of playing time in Elam and Brown. I get that cornerbacks go earlier and I think the front office knows but you can have average corners look great with a pass rush. Very rarely in the league you see guys that are able to look great without at least a middle of the pack pass rush. Now we have Suggs and Dumervil that can retire any moment. I think between veterans and the young draft picks we will be able to create the kind of pass rush we want.

No doubt that the pass rush helps, but even with Suggs and Dumervil playing at high levels in 2014, you could argue that CB is the biggest reason we didn't go just a step further.  You can't count on a pass rush to consistently bail out a weak spot in the lineup.  A pass rush isn't going to get to a QB every time, and that's why the Patriots beat us.  They got the ball out quick to counteract that.

[rmw10]

4 minutes ago, Tiznut said:

Within reason. Which is why they went db in the 4th. You want to talk about just going after a db and that's why we are waiting for Elam to develop. 

 

They targeted Ramsey and couldn't get them. You don't reach just to reach. 

No doubt.  By no means am I saying to just pick a 3rd round CB in round 1, but at some point, you have to adjust to fill the need.  It sounds like they're going to place a little higher value on CB based off of what was said after the draft.  You have to fill needs at some point, though, whether that be through FA or the draft.  That could mean being a little more aggressive in FA or trading up in the draft.  It doesn't have to be a reach.  It's a position that absolutely has to be addressed sometime in the very near future, though.  I'm not saying they didn't try.

[trevorsteadman]

15 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

No doubt that the pass rush helps, but even with Suggs and Dumervil playing at high levels in 2014, you could argue that CB is the biggest reason we didn't go just a step further.  You can't count on a pass rush to consistently bail out a weak spot in the lineup.  A pass rush isn't going to get to a QB every time, and that's why the Patriots beat us.  They got the ball out quick to counteract that.

And I agree that our cornerbacks lacked in 2014. But we have invested more since then and I actually feel comfortable with the group we have now. You aren't going to have a defense with a Sherman, Peterson, and Revis. We have a top 10 cornerback in Jimmy Smith, a nice compliment in Wright, and a solid slot guys in Powers. But in 2014 I still think safeties were the reason we were so bad in pass defense. The last couple seasons a lot of those touchdowns and big plays were because of poor safety play. We upgraded the position with Weddle but we lost Hill which sucks but Webb is probably an immediate upgrade over anybody else. I think Kendrick Lewis is also a solid backup. A lot of those short passes and screens we get burned because of linebackers and safeties not playing in the right position to keep the gains small. There is only so much a cornerback can do when they have to react to what receivers do. 

[rmw10]

Just now, trevorsteadman said:

And I agree that our cornerbacks lacked in 2014. But we have invested more since then and I actually feel comfortable with the group we have now. You aren't going to have a defense with a Sherman, Peterson, and Revis. We have a top 10 cornerback in Jimmy Smith, a nice compliment in Wright, and a solid slot guys in Powers. But in 2014 I still think safeties were the reason we were so bad in pass defense. The last couple seasons a lot of those touchdowns and big plays were because of poor safety play. We upgraded the position with Weddle but we lost Hill which sucks but Webb is probably an immediate upgrade over anybody else. I think Kendrick Lewis is also a solid backup. A lot of those short passes and screens we get burned because of linebackers and safeties not playing in the right position to keep the gains small. There is only so much a cornerback can do when they have to react to what receivers do. 

Again, I don't disagree with that.  I don't think the group this year is bad.  I think we have some solid guys back there.  I just think the future of the position is bleak because Powers is just another bandaid right now.  That's more my concern than anything.

In regards to safeties, pass rush, whatever... again, I don't disagree.  There have been quite a few issues on this team recently and I feel like we've taken steps to fix that everywhere but CB.  I just feel like this was another offseason where we tried to patch the problem at CB instead of fixing it.

[trevorsteadman]

1 minute ago, rmw10 said:

Again, I don't disagree with that.  I don't think the group this year is bad.  I think we have some solid guys back there.  I just think the future of the position is bleak because Powers is just another bandaid right now.  That's more my concern than anything.

In regards to safeties, pass rush, whatever... again, I don't disagree.  There have been quite a few issues on this team recently and I feel like we've taken steps to fix that everywhere but CB.  I just feel like this was another offseason where we tried to patch the problem at CB instead of fixing it.

To me I would rather upgrade at a place we have two guys that are 33 and 32 at outside linebacker and band aid the place that has some young talent with Smith and Wright. Our defense needs a strong pass rush. Nothing wrong with bandaiding as long as it is for a cheap cost and they produce. Corey Graham, Daryl Smith, and others have been perfect bandaids for us. But we have also missed with Huff, Arrington, etc. It is impossible to fill the team without any bandaids.

[rmw10]

Just now, trevorsteadman said:

To me I would rather upgrade at a place we have two guys that are 33 and 32 at outside linebacker and band aid the place that has some young talent with Smith and Wright. Our defense needs a strong pass rush. Nothing wrong with bandaiding as long as it is for a cheap cost and they produce. Corey Graham, Daryl Smith, and others have been perfect bandaids for us. But we have also missed with Huff, Arrington, etc. It is impossible to fill the team without any bandaids.

I'm not saying OLB wasn't a need either.  That was a spot that we needed to fill and we did it.  CB has been a spot that's been a need for years and we still haven't filled it.

I think our perceptions of young are off.  Wright is 29 years old.  That's not too old, but how many CBs over 30 are still playing at a high level?  Not many.  He might give us another year or two of decent play, but that doesn't change that the future at the position is still bleak.

I have no problems with bandaids but you can't keep placing them over the same wound.  I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.  I have no belief that the CB position has truly been 'addressed' to this point.

[trevorsteadman]

45 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I'm not saying OLB wasn't a need either.  That was a spot that we needed to fill and we did it.  CB has been a spot that's been a need for years and we still haven't filled it.

I think our perceptions of young are off.  Wright is 29 years old.  That's not too old, but how many CBs over 30 are still playing at a high level?  Not many.  He might give us another year or two of decent play, but that doesn't change that the future at the position is still bleak.

I have no problems with bandaids but you can't keep placing them over the same wound.  I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.  I have no belief that the CB position has truly been 'addressed' to this point.

And that is what I stated before it depends on definition. To me you have Jimmy and Shareece on contract until 2019. That is a few years with guys you expect to start and play at a high level. It can be upgraded but I think it is far from the weakest link on our team. Inside linebacker, wide receiver, safety, and defensive line all are weaker units on our team in my opinion.

[rmw10]

2 minutes ago, trevorsteadman said:

And that is what I stated before it depends on definition. To me you have Jimmy and Shareece on contract until 2019. That is a few years with guys you expect to start and play at a high level. It can be upgraded but I think it is far from the weakest link on our team. Inside linebacker, wide receiver, safety, and defensive line all are weaker units on our team in my opinion.

Just because they're under contract that long doesn't mean they'll actually play through that year, though.

I guess we'll just have to end it there.  I vehemently disagree with that assessment, except maybe ILB as it currently stands.

[trevorsteadman]

1 minute ago, rmw10 said:

Just because they're under contract that long doesn't mean they'll actually play through that year, though.

I guess we'll just have to end it there.  I vehemently disagree with that assessment, except maybe ILB as it currently stands.

Yes a team can end a contract at any time. That goes for all players. But ranking #1 the last half of the season last year with a terrible pass rush without Suggs shows we are trending upwards in cornerback play. Not only did we add rookie corners, we added a proven veteran in Powers, Eric Weddle at safety, and we added Leslie Frasier as a secondary coach. I think a huge reason Shareece played so well is because he is great friends with Jimmy and them competing with each other will only make each other better. You don't give a guy over 5 million dollars a season to stay if you thought his 20 yards allowed per game the last 8 games of the season was an anomaly. Yes we all get nightmares of the Denver game in 2013 and Big Ben throwing 6 touchdowns or whatever it was down our throats but that changed last season. We have limited great wide receivers (everyone but AJ Green). 

 

At inside linebacker we plan on starting Brown or Orr who have yet to really do anything. At wide receiver we are toast once Steve Smith retires after this season unless Breshad shows what he did last OTA's was no fluke when he shined. At safety we have two guys over 30 in Webb and Weddle who will need to be replaced as well and ever since Reed left we have struggled to replace him. At defensive line your only proven player in Williams is in his final season and you do not know if he will resign with the team. If he does we have players like Jernigan who have shown flashes but disappear some games. We have depth there but not playmakers. 

 

I'm not completely disagreeing, but I think it is far from the less addressed position over the last year. I do think we need to invest a higher draft pick in a corner next season but I do not see it as a weakness on this team. If they added another cornerback I wouldn't bat an eye. But talent wise at the position I think we are great for the next 2 seasons at least there.

[JoeyFlex5]

9 hours ago, rmw10 said:

I do still wish they'd step up and address the long-term need, though.  Jimmy in 2011 has been our last really big investment at the position.  Otherwise, it's been stop gaps and mid to late round rookies.  At some point, we need to find someone that can be a fixture in the lineup.  We've been entirely too passive at the position for my liking.

I'll agree but we also haven't been in the best position to draft a cb high. The guys that turned out to be 2nd or mid round steals were drafted in that range for a reason and if we would've taken say, a ron Darby at 26 last year then it would've been considered a reach. There's a lot of hindsight involved when looking at how we've addressed cb through the draft. 

 

Remember, Jimmy was a top 10 talent who fell because he got busted doing things college kids do, we lucked out there and it rarely works that way.

[GrimCoconut]

I agree with @rmw10 in that we need to be more aggressive in getting CBs if they keep going before we are on the clock. Yes, we got some guys, but nobody has panned out and part of that is scouting and part of that is a lack of aggressive moves. The other part is just luck and finally coaching. I think Walker could've made an impact, but unfortunately his life ended shortly and that'll never be a possibility now. I liked what I saw from him as he progressed, but it was clear he needed a lot of work. Natural talent was there.