Tony Jefferson has not taken long to impress Ravens players and coaches

The marquee free agent signing of the offseason for the Ravens is safety Tony Jefferson. The 25 year old, along with safety Eric Weddle, have been projected to be among the top safety duos in the NFL. But even though Jefferson has only had a few practices with the Ravens, he has been quick to impress Weddle. Weddle said the following regarding Jefferson, per the Baltimore Sun:

“No disrespect to any of the guys I’ve played with, but it’s nice not to have to explain why I do certain things or why I’m doing this in this coverage,” Weddle said. “From day one, he already had a feel for how I play and how to work off me. … It frees me up a lot more mentally. I don’t have to tell him after each play why I did this or, before the snap, let’s do this. He already knows. That is just light years ahead of most guys I’ve played with. I’ve loved every guy I’ve played with, but he’s just on another level.”

To get this type of praise from a safety the caliber of Weddle, just weeks into Jefferson’s career as a Raven, is a really good sign. Weddle clearly sees something special in the former Arizona Cardinals safety, but he isn’t the only one. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has also been blown away by what Jefferson has shown so far (per the Baltimore Sun):

“I would say, Tony Jefferson, my impressions would be A-plus in every area,” Harbaugh said. “I see him in the weight room, I see him in the conditioning and I see him in the meeting room. I see his knowledge of the defense already; I see how he and Eric interact back there. We are doing a great job of disguising our looks, and we are causing the offense a lot of trouble.”

The Ravens put a large investment into Jefferson, and despite the fact that he hasn’t yet played a game wearing Ravens uniform, all signs are pointing in the right direction for a successful time in Baltimore. It isn’t common to see a young player draw this type of praise from not only the established stars at the same position, but also the head coach.

If the chemistry that Weddle suggested already exists between himself and Jefferson proves to be real, then this duo could do big things in 2017. With two safeties this talented on the same team, the sky truly is the limit, especially if he continues to impress during games the way he seems to be impressing during the offseason.