Stock Up
Marlon Humphrey
Marlon Humphrey is the highest paid player on the Ravens defense, but he wasn’t playing like it over the first five weeks. He arguably wasn’t even the best cornerback, but Sunday afternoon saw as a return to normalcy. This was Justin Herbert’s pass chart via Next Gen Stats. Try to guess which side Humphrey predominately lined up on.
https://twitter.com/taylorjlyons/status/1449910686205816832?s=20
For some reason, Herbert targeted Humphrey on third and fourth down multiple times. It never worked.
I don’t think anyone was beginning to seriously doubt Humphrey, but there were no splash plays or big pass breakups to be excited about. The signature forced fumbles or big, impactful pass breakups weren’t there. Humphrey’s play on Sunday shouldn’t shock anyone, but it does feel good to see him back at the level we know he can reach.
Calais Campbell
In year 14, Calais Campbell might be playing the best football of his career, and it couldn’t come at a better time. With Derek Wolfe sidelined and no return timetable set, Campbell is playing much more than he has (and probably should) in recent years. He logged 44 snaps on Sunday, the fifth most of any Ravens defender and easily the most of the linemen.
He’s wreaking havoc in the run game, making quick work of blockers and bringing down runners in the backfield. He had two tackles for loss this week, bringing his season total to 7.5. His PFF grade of 87.9 is the second-highest of any Raven behind only Mark Andrews and is the fourth highest of all interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
The 35-year-old is experiencing a career rejuvenation. He’s easily been the Ravens’ best and most impactful defensive player at a time when he’s being relied on more than ever.
Josh Bynes
Man, Wink Martindale’s defense looks a lot better when it has linebackers that do their jobs, doesn’t it?
Multiple reporters noted pregame that Josh Bynes was taking snaps as a starter next to Patrick Queen. This came after we heard earlier in the week that Martindale was willing to shake things up among the starting linebackers. Bynes was solid in the areas Queen and Malik Harrison haven’t been, filling running lanes and tackling. It also seemed as if his presence helped Queen, who had his best game of the season too. If Bynes can both play well himself and prove to be a help to the struggling Queen, his value skyrockets.
On Sunday, Bynes stepped right into Harrison’s role and turned into his 2019 self when he was signed off the street to provide a veteran presence for a young and struggling linebacker unit. They do say history repeats itself.
Devonta Freeman
The Ravens’ running game has done a complete 180 in recent weeks, and Devonta Freeman has been a big reason why. He’s done a good job of finding and attacking holes and bursting through to the second level. He’s shown a fair amount of agility, balance and burst that reminds you of his best days in Atlanta, and has proved to be the team’s best option as a receiver out of the backfield.
We’ll have to wait and see the severity of Latavius Murray’s injury, but otherwise the team appears to have begun to figure out how they want to deploy their slew of running backs with Freeman in line to play a significant role.
What looked like a weak link on the offense suddenly feels like a strength, although seeing them do it against a better run defense would help ease my suspicions even more.
Stock Down
Josh Oliver
Do I have to do this? I do? Fine.
Josh Oliver didn’t have the best of games. He fumbled his only catch and had a holding call that negated a nice Le’Veon Bell run.
It’s been a lot of nothing for Oliver this season. He has just five catches on seven targets for 30 yards. The training camp and preseason hype around Oliver was very real, with some hoping he could help to bring the offense back to 2019 and be the new Hayden Hurst. Instead, he’s become the third tight end that rarely sees opportunity, even with the passing offense exploding everywhere around him. He just hasn’t been able to carve out a role, and with Nick Boyle expected back sometime soon, his long-term status is up in the air.
