Ravens' Secondary Ranked Last In AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens' secondary continues to be slept on.

Jan 6, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Deontae Johnson (18) makes a first quarter catch defended by Baltimore Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens (21) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens play in what is easily football's toughest division, and nothing comes easy as a result.

Take the Ravens' secondary for instance, which has no shortage of talent at both cornerback and safety. Even with that talent, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah ranked Baltimore's secondary as the worst in the AFC North, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming in first, the Cleveland Browns in second and the Cincinnati Bengals in third.

"Nate Wiggins comes in, big-time pure cover corner; tackling was an issue and a concern of ours, but we'll see how he does in that department. They intend to get the toughness out of people there in Baltimore," Jeremiah said on the "Move the Sticks" podcast. "Obviously love the safety combo; Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams is as good as it gets. Brandon Stephens, who can do a lot of different things. You got Marlon Humphrey who's kind of the old head there, the vet. You've got a couple young guys there, led by T.J. Tampa. I'm excited to see how he fits in there. So that's a good group, but I have them at No. 4."

In fairness, Jeremiah acknowledged how tough such a ranking is, as any AFC North secondary could be the best on any given day. Jeremiah's co-host Bucky Brooks also ranked the Ravens' secondary at third, which is slightly more reasonable.

That said, placing Baltimore in last feels like a slight. Cincinnati's secondary isn't really anything special, and Pittsburgh's is relatively thin behind star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Cleveland is probably the stiffest competition for Baltimore, but even the Browns have some flaws on the backend.

In contrast, the Ravens have what is probably the league's best safety duo in Hamilton and Williams. At cornerback, they also have a former All-Pro in Humphrey, an up-and-comer in Stephens and two promising rookies in Wiggins and Tampa.

Yes, the Ravens took a hit when ball-hawking safety Geno Smith signed with the Bengals this offseason, but there's still a ton to like with this secondary and it could easily be the best in the division.

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