:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34686395/20131122_kkt_ax1_088.0.jpg)
While someone will eventually earn the No. 3 cornerback spot on the depth chart, it'll be a downgrade from Corey Graham.
Primarily known for his Pro Bowl special teams play with the Chicago Bears, Graham came to Baltimore looking for a chance to actually be utilized as a corner, and once given his chance, he exceeded everyone's expectations. After receiving a $16 million offer from the Buffalo Bills, Graham left as a free agent, and that left the Ravens looking to fill the void.
Personally, I'm confident in Chykie Brown's ability to step into the No. 3 role because he has continued to progress in his craft when given opportunities. If he was given more snaps, my money would be on him excelling more than regressing at this point of his career.
Brown has to be considered a front-runner to land the No. 3 corner spot over Asa Jackson, but I believed the Ravens needed to add more veteran depth and that's exactly what they did when they signed veterans Aaron Ross and Dominique Franks earlier this week.
Franks is intriguing because he and Graham have a lot of commonalities throughout their career. Both were fifth-round picks and both weren't really given a chance to shine with their previous teams. Franks played last year for the Atlanta Falcons and saw action in 15 games as a reserve member on a defense of a team that simply collapsed last year after high expectations were placed on them.
To me, Ross likely has the best shot of taking the third corner spot from Brown. Ross comes to Baltimore with plenty of experience having been a first round pick with seven years of NFL experience under his belt including two Super Bowl championships with the New York Giants. Ross also has a familiarity with Ravens secondary coach Steve Spagnuolo, whom was his defensive coordinator with the Giants during Ross' rookie season.
At this point, the Ravens are simply trying to stack as much competition as possible within the allotted 90 training camp roster spaces. Even though I'd feel fine with Brown playing on nickel packages, it's great that the Ravens brought in two legitimate contenders for the final two corner spots once the roster is trimmed to 53 men.