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After the season-ending knee injury to second-year CB Iman Marshall, and the release of All-Pro S Earl Thomas, the Ravens could look to available free agents to fill any possible holes in the DB room. One player in particular could help to fill needed depth at both roles.
The player I am referring to is Logan Ryan, who is currently a free agent after the last three season with the Titans. Ryan recently changed agents, leading many to believe that he will soon sign with a team.
Free agent DB Logan Ryan, one of the top players available, has hired powerful agent Joel Segal as his new representation and is poised to do a deal, sources say. Ryan’s previous agents waived the five-day waiting period, and Ryan’s move is official.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2020
Ryan has said this offseason that he should be viewed as more of a hybrid defensive back instead of just a pure corner. Baltimore would be a good fit for the 29-year-old veteran, as they like to make use of versatile players on defense. Ryan would compete with third-year DeShon Elliott for the starting safety role opposite of Chuck Clark, as well as provide backup at slot corner behind Tavon Young, who has missed two out of his four years with injuries.
Free agent Logan Ryan views himself as a safety, rather than the cornerback he’s generally listed as. To that end, his agent emailed all 32 GMs these top safety stats and asked them to compare his production. An interesting discussion to be sure as one of the top FAs looms. pic.twitter.com/NZni6BYmND
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 10, 2020
Ravens seem content w/Elliott starting at S and they're encouraged by Jimmy Smith's play as CB/S. However, they love versatile def. players and Ryan was coached by Ravens pass defensive coordinator Chris Hewitt at Rutgers. Can't see them paying a lot, but makes sense on surface. https://t.co/OougzTGc8W
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 30, 2020
According to pro-football-reference.com, Ryan was targeted 103 times, allowing 68 completions for 781 yards and five touchdowns in 2019. His PFF rating for the season was 64.9. On the flip side, Ryan had four interceptions, 18 pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and 4.5 sacks in the regular season and another interception the playoffs against Tom Brady when the Titans defeated the Patriots.
The main question regarding Ryan regards his asking price. It’s also unknown if Ryan would accept a potentially non-starting role in an already loaded secondary. If Ryan’s asking price is too high, then the Ravens would probably be better off re-signing veteran Brandon Carr, who provides similar versatility but at a cheaper price. Carr is already familiar with the defense as well after spending the previous three seasons in Baltimore.
The Ravens play the Browns on September 13, giving them just under two weeks now to add additional players to the roster before the beginning of the season, which would be plenty of time for Ryan to acclimate himself. After all, CB Marcus Peters played his first game for Baltimore after spending less than a week with the team in 2019.