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Nobody Puts Chykie In A Corner?

Super Bowl XLVII - Baltimore Ravens v San Francisco 49ers

One of the biggest departures for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason was Corey Graham. Once a full-time special teamer for the Bears, Baltimore was able to turn the speedster out of small-school in New Hampshire, into a full-time nickel corner. Graham lead the team in interceptions in 2013 with 4, and pulled in 2 from Peyton Manning in the previous season’s Divisional Round (the latter of which set up the game winning field goal in 2OT). Along with rising stars Jimmy Smith and Lardarrius Webb, Graham finished out a corner trio which was on its way to being one of the league’s tops. Now he’s in Buffalo, and the Ravens need to find his replacement quickly.

Behind the two penciled in starters, there isn’t much stability. Asa Jackson, a 5th round draft pick from 2012 has flashed in limited snaps, but mostly as a special teamer and mostly in the preseason. He is also coming off the second suspension of his two-year suspension for violation of the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. Chykie Brown, a 5th round draft pick from 2011, has also managed to find his way into the defensive rotation in recent years. In 2012, after top corner Lardarrius Webb went down with a torn ACL and Jimmy Smith continued to nurse injuries, Brown and Graham, along with mid-season free agent signing Chris Johnson, were tasked with holding down the back-end. The Ravens won the Superbowl that year, partially a credit to what Brown can do. Along with these two, the Ravens brought in a few free agents in Dominique Franks and Aaron Ross to compete for roster spots. Ross, who was connected to Coach Spagnuolo from the 2011 Superbowl-winning Giants, went down with a torn Achilles’s tendon during his conditioning test. effectively ending his season.

Right now, the top candidate is Chykie, who has starting experience in Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees’ system. Brown has been running with the first team defense, but has been very lackluster. His underwhelming performance so far in camp has led the coaching staff to sign free agent S Will Hill, another former Giant. Hill will be unavailable for the first 8 games of the season as he serves a suspension for PED’s. This move had many confused, but it could point to the use of one of the safeties in the nickel slot.

Matt Elam has experience in the nickel, but will definitely play the majority of his snaps in his natural FS spot. As of today, Darian Stewart, another offseason free agent signing, is the starter at FS. Jeromy Miles and 3rd round rookie Terrence Brooks could see time in the nickel corner. Brooks recorded the fastest 40 time at the combine, but his lack of height is a concern, should he be matched up with TE’s or long Slot Receivers.

With a little over a month to go before the season starts, the Ravens’ top concerns have not changed. Rick Wagner is taking right tackle snaps with the first team offensive line. CJ Mosley is currently working with the second team, as Art Brown and Darryl Smith work with the first team. Tyrod Taylor and Keith Wenning continue to compete for the backup quarter back spot. And for right now, it seems that the nickel corner spot is anyone’s for the taking.

Author: Jeremy Herskovic