Good afternoon, Ravens Flock, and a happy Wednesday to you all! Our Baltimore Ravens have been extra busy over the last week, and it obviously has Twitter in all sorts of moods about it all! Between a reuniting of player and team and a splashy addition to the defense, fans have been in a very good mood since last we chatted, and for good reason, too.
What is everyone clamoring about on the Twitter-sphere? Let’s not dilly dally any longer on a special Wednesday edition of Out to Lunch.
Eric DeCosta has been a very busy man for the Baltimore Ravens since the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft with a whopping four free agent signings:
Eric DeCosta's post-draft thrift shopping additions:
CB Kyle Fuller
DE Brent Urban
OLB Vince Biegel
RB Mike Davis— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) May 24, 2022
For starters, Brent Urban has returned to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract:
We have signed defensive lineman Brent Urban❗️
Welcome back, @urbanlegend96❗️ pic.twitter.com/thGVqLWux6
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 23, 2022
Urban spent his first five NFL seasons with the Ravens after being a fourth-round draft choice in 2014 out of Virginia. Urban has delt with more than his fair share of injuries, but is still kicking and screaming in the NFL eight years later as he enters his ninth league in the pros.
The sheer size of Urban is monumental in more ways than one, standing at 6’7” 308-lbs., and he now will lineup next to another mammoth for Baltimore:
Eric DeCosta's post-draft thrift shopping additions:
CB Kyle Fuller
DE Brent Urban
OLB Vince Biegel
RB Mike Davis— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) May 24, 2022
Both of these BFGs have a tendency to block kicks, too, and it’s likely the Ravens will trot out these two behemoths on special teams to create some magic for the unit which is becoming a strength for the team.
Although Urban’s career hasn’t been highlight-riddled, he does have an absolute gem of a play that Ravens fans fondly remember from an otherwise miserable 2015 season:
Brent Urban is back with the Ravens?
Roll the tape pic.twitter.com/IokOQNGYiz
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) May 20, 2022
The Will “The Thrill” Hill III walk-off kick-six against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Ohio would never have been possible without Urban’s heroics. Many remember exactly where they were when this play happened (I was in my college dorm watching the game on a delay from my laptop) and it was truly a jaw dropping moment that we won’t soon forget.
Welcome home, Brent!
Another welcome home is in order, as a Baltimore native and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller agreed to terms with the Ravens yesterday afternoon:
We have agreed to terms with CB Kyle Fuller❗️
📰: https://t.co/y5lrsxpbEJ pic.twitter.com/Bt26Unp1Yu
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 24, 2022
Fuller, as mentioned, is a two-time Pro Bowler and was selected to First-Team All-Pro honors back in 2018 when he tied for the league lead in interceptions, recording a career-best seven picks in 16 games.
One of Fuller’s most attractive traits headed into this year was his reliability and consistency in the health department. Aside from a 2016 season that was completely wiped away due to a knee injury, Fuller has missed just one game since coming into the league back in 2014, which was last season. In other words, Fuller has just one season playing less than 16 games and that was a completely missed 2016 season. Other than that, Fuller is the model of consistency for health.
Adding Fuller to this secondary doesn’t seem fair, if we’re being honest, and the look of it on paper is unbelievable:
If healthy, Ravens have a good chance of flipping their 32nd place in pass defense last year to top 5 this year.
That’s what getting Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey back from injury can do, while adding Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton and Kyle Fuller this offseason.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 24, 2022
It’s hard to look at those five and not get giddy. Lest ye forget that Chuck Clark will also have a major role in that secondary with TONS of others behind them, as well:
Ravens' secondary (in part):
S Marcus Williams
S Chuck Clark
S Kyle Hamilton
S Tony Jefferson
S Geno Stone
S Ar'Darius WashingtonCB Marlon Humphrey
CB Marcus Peters
CB Kyle Fuller
DB Brandon Stephens
CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
CB Pepe Williams
CB Kevon Seymour— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) May 24, 2022
Now THAT is how you turn a weakness into a strength. Baltimore has assembled a masterful secondary with additions like Fuller and Marcus Williams via Free Agency and then adding the 2022 NFL Draft’s top safety in Kyle Hamilton. With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters set to return in 2022 fully recovered from their respective season-ending injuries from a year ago, there is A TON of turnover potential in this secondary. Those five alone have legitimate Pro Bowl potential…
At the very least, it may be the best secondary the NFL has had since the 2015 Denver Broncos a.k.a. “The No-Fly Zone:”
Marlon Humphrey
Marcus Peters
Kyle Fuller
Marcus Williams
Kyle HamiltonEDC BUILT A NO FLY ZONE IN BMORE ✈️✈️ pic.twitter.com/wjpDqWKcan
— malik🦦 (@HollywoodJetEra) May 24, 2022
That 2015 Broncos secondary was ferocious and undoubtedly historic. Based off the talent gathered, the Ravens will hope to replicate even part of their success, and more importantly, win a championship with it.
Goodness gracious the @Ravens secondary is STACKED
▪️ Marlon Humphrey
▪️ Marcus Peters
▪️ Marcus Williams
▪️ Kyle Hamilton
▪️ Kyle Fuller pic.twitter.com/YjmQkmIP1C— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) May 24, 2022
Before we close, here’s a nasty hit stick from Fuller:
Welcome to the Ravens, Kyle Fuller💥 pic.twitter.com/zUO0VX7bc1
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) May 24, 2022
That man got hit so hard that his ancestors were dizzy!
Have a great rest of your week, Ravens Flock, and enjoy summer break! I’ll see you this time next week!
