With Tony Jefferson signing, Ravens secondary has chance to be elite

The signing of Tony Jefferson was not universally lauded amongst Ravens fans but by and large, the move was touted as positive, even despite the price tag. Jefferson will prove to be a better box safety than Eric Weddle, thanks to his size and the violence he packs in his tackles. Weddle being a safer, “break down and get square” tackler in the open field is likely to be better suited for a move to free safety. He will prove to be a more instinctive safety than Lardarius Webb.

With the semantics out of the way, the Ravens can now field two versatile, playmaking safeties, which will allow them to be even more creative in their rotations. If the cornerback core allows the safeties to roam around and does not confine them to two-deep coverages, the Ravens could field one of the best secondaries in the league.

A few moves still have to be made. Acquiring Morris Claiborne would provide depth and potential for stellar play. Claiborne found himself last season and at the very least, would provide good depth and the ability to play press-man coverage on the outside. Adding a first round corner like Sidney Jones, Gareon Conley or Tre'Davious White would give the Ravens three press corners in the form of Jimmy Smith, Claiborne and said rookie along with slot corner with Tavon Young. In the extreme (but fathomable) case of both Claiborne and Smith missing extended time, Young and the rookie drafted could man the outside without an egregious drop off.

Man cover corners and versatile safeties are the perfect equation for dynamic blitz packages. The Ravens find themselves on the right track to once again field an elite defense. With Jefferson in the fold, they are getting close.