John Harbaugh Excited For Return of Ravens DB

The Baltimore Ravens will get a boost to their secondary against the Cleveland Browns with the return of one of their veteran defensive backs.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet (10) sacks Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

For the first time this season, the Baltimore Ravens will have one of the key pieces of their secondary on the field.

Cornerback Arthur Maulet will make his 2024 debut on Sunday when the Ravens face the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field at 1 p.m. ET. He missed the first seven games of the season due to a knee injury that he suffered during training camp in August, which landed him on injured reserve.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh noted the work Maulet has put in to this point and how the veteran defensive back is feeling ahead of playing his first game this season.

"Arthur [Maulet] has done a great job of working hard," Harbaugh said on Friday. "He's been out for a while. He's been champing at the bit. He's been anxious, and he's worked hard. We'll see how it looks and see how he looks, and we look forward. Anybody that we have that's healthy and wants to play and is a good player, we like to have them out there."

In his first season in Baltimore, Maulet appeared in 14 games and tallied 37 tackles, five pass breakups, two sacks and an interception. He also had five tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.

"It's definitely a boost," Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said on Thursday of Maulet's return. "'Art' [Arthur Maulet] is a vet. 'Art' knows the system. He played a lot of good football for us last year. He was having a heck of a [training] camp before he had his little injury, so he just adds more depth to our secondary, adds another playmaker [and] adds another chess piece that we can use to help us out."

Prior to signing with the Ravens before the 2023 season, Maulet also played for the New Orleans Saints (2017-2018), Indianapolis Colts (2018), New York Jets (2019-2020) and AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers (2021-2022).

The Ravens' secondary needs to improve if they're going to turn things around this season. They have allowed the most passing yards (287.1) and the sixth-most points (25.7) per contest. Baltimore will also likely be without cornerback Marlon Humphrey against the Browns due to a knee injury that had him listed as doubtful on the final injury report on Friday.

If Maulet can help the defense, it'll go a long way toward addressing Baltimore's biggest weakness. For now, though, he's just ready to get back on the field after weeks of recovering and watching his teammates play without him.

"I'm ready," Maulet said. "I don't have too many words. I'm ready to play."

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