CB Brandon Carr signs 4 year deal with the Ravens

According to the team’s official Twitter account, the Ravens have signed former Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr to a 4 year deal.

Of the signing, general manager Ozzie Newsome said, “This is a good football player. We got better today.”

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the deal is in total worth $24 million. In addition, Schefter reported that the deal is actually a one year deal with three years of options. Schefter believes that he will only be in Baltimore for two years.

Carr is currently 30 years old, and is coming off a season where Pro Football Focus ranked him as the number 52 overall cornerback in the NFL. Carr will replace Shareece Wright at the void at cornerback across the field from Jimmy Smith. Carr should prove to be a large upgrade over Wright

Carr was one of the more reliable pieces for the Cowboys defense in 2016, as he played all 16 games, and has played 144 consecutive games. Over the course of the season, Carr recorded 61 tackles, one interception, and nine passes defended. Carr’s consistent availability was likely one of the most appealing factors to the Ravens.

The deal comes as somewhat of a surprise as the Ravens were reported to be the favorite to land Carr’s Cowboy teammate, Morris Claiborne. Instead, after it was reported by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that the two sides had a disconnect on cost, the Ravens chose to go with Carr. Carr does not have the same injury concerns that Claiborne comes with, and Carr has been more consistent over the course of his career.

Update (3/16/17 4:05 p.m.): Schefter reports that Claiborne will sign with the New York Jets.

Signing Carr does not eliminate the need for a young corner in the draft, but it will help to make the Ravens secondary much better in the short term. Ozzie Newsome continues to be very active on the free agent market, and he doesn’t seem to be letting up just yet.