The safety position has some interesting questions going into the 2011 season, whenever that starts. At free safety we have Ed Reed. He missed the first 6 games recovering from offseason hip surgery, but made an impact with 8 interceptions in 10 games. He also had just as many winces and limps as he had game changing plays. Being a year further removed from that surgery will certainly help but a contingency plan wouldn’t hurt.
At the strong safety position we ended the season with free agent Dawan Landry. Landry is good in run support but leaves much to be desired in terms of range and ability to play the deep ball. It is yet to be known whether he’ll end up as a restricted or unrestricted free agent but it’s been pretty quiet regarding him.
Could the silence be a hint the team has moved on from the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket?
If so Landry’s replacement could already be in house. Tom Zbikowski is a sound player, with better range and physical ability then Landry but he also shows the ability to hold up against the run. I think he’s shown enough to be a serious candidate for a starting position.
Haruka Nakamura is also a holdover from last year and while he does some things yet it would be a stretch to ask him to be a starter. He’s a good special teams player, a good sub package guy closer to the line blitzing and playing in intermediate areas. He also adds some depth to the return game.
If the Ravens decide to go outside of the organization for the answer at strong safety thereare some interesting options to consider.
The Eagles drafted Jaiquawn Jarrett in the 2nd round of April’s draft , seemingly a move that could signal the end of Quintin Mikell’s time there. If the price tag doesn’t get out of hand he’s a guy the Ravens should take a look at. Mikell takes solid angles, prevents catches, can support the run and make plays on the ball.
Atari Bigby is an impact player but is often injured. Maybe that decreases his price tag and he could be worth a look if he can check out medically.
Daniel Manning is another option and while he probably isn’t a huge upgrade from a pure football player standpoint, his range, speed and athleticism far exceeds what we’ve seen at that spot over the past few years.
With all that said a substantial signing at that position would seem unlikely given the team’s history.
Another issue that should be addressed sooner than later would be the heir apparent to Ed Reed. There are a couple guys from the pool of undrafted free agents that could possibly fit that role. University of North Carolina safety Deunta Williams is a talented player with great size, good hips and is a fluid athlete. He was a highly touted prospect that wasn’t drafted because of a leg injury that enabled him from doing any offseason workouts.
Clemson safety Deandre McDaniel is another highly touted safety that didn’t get drafted partly because of a fractured wrist. He has great instincts, good ball skills, and is a very good tackler.
Georgia Tech safety Jerrard Tarrant is another talented safety that is very aggressive and has experience at both safety and corner in college. He has some physical tools that can be developed . Tarrant or any of these guys would be worth the risk of an invite.
We will find as soon as the ongoing labor dispute is settled what direction the Ravens choose to go in. It’s nice to have some options in house that can do an adequate job, but are there viable options out there that fit the teams “right player, right price” mantra?
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ravens view the position whenever free agency finally begins.
