The Ravens failed to make the postseason for the fourth time in five years, but where exactly did their players stack up across the NFL in 2017?
Whether it’s discussing the Pro Bowl or picking postseason awards, media and fans spend much time debating where players rank at each position, but few put in the necessary time and effort to watch every player on every team extensively enough to develop any kind of an authoritative opinion.
Truthfully, how many times did you closely watch the offensive line of the Los Angeles Chargers this season? What about the Detroit Lions linebackers or the Miami Dolphins cornerbacks?
That’s why I can appreciate projects such as Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 and the grading efforts of Pro Football Focus. Of course, neither should be viewed as the gospel of evaluation and each is subjective, but I respect the exhaustive effort to grade players across the league when so many of us watch only one team or one division on any kind of a consistent basis. It’s important to note that the following PFF rankings are where the player stood at the conclusion of the regular season.
Below is a look at where Ravens safeties ranked across the league, according to those outlets:
Running backs
Defensive linemen
Tight ends
Cornerbacks
Wide receivers
Inside linebackers
Offensive linemen
Eric Weddle
2017 defensive snap count: 1,085
NFL1000 ranking: 12th among free safeties
PFF ranking: tied for 26th among safeties
Skinny: The 33-year-old went to the Pro Bowl and was tied for third in the NFL in interceptions, but he wasn’t quite as consistent as he was in 2016 and had issues playing the run. Weddle has stabilized a secondary that had sorely lacked leadership, but his salary cap number rises to $8.25 million in 2018.
Tony Jefferson
2017 defensive snap count: 1,085
NFL1000 ranking: 15th among strong safeties
PFF ranking: tied for 26th among safeties
Skinny: Jefferson received $19 million guaranteed to be a difference-making force at safety, but he was too ordinary, struggling in coverage and rarely making splash plays. The Ravens wisely began deploying him closer to the line of scrimmage as the season progressed, but they still need much more from him.
Anthony Levine
2017 defensive snap count: 262
NFL1000 ranking: n/a
PFF ranking: n/a
Skinny: The veteran special-teams standout was one of the defense’s unsung heroes, blitzing effectively and playing good coverage from the dime position. With the Ravens having no clear long-term solution at inside linebacker next to C.J. Mosley, the dime package should be used as much as possible.
Chuck Clark
2017 defensive snap count: 59
NFL1000 ranking: n/a
PFF ranking: n/a
Skinny: The sixth-round rookie played sparingly, but he showed some promise at the dime spot and looks like a solid backup option for the 2018 season. Clark was a strong contributor on special teams and looks like a good find as a late-round draft pick from Virginia Tech.
2018 positional outlook
This position appears to be in solid shape for now, but Weddle and Jefferson are scheduled to combine for a $17.24 million cap number for 2018, making it fair to question whether the Ravens are getting enough bang for the buck. There’s reason for Jefferson to improve since he’s only 26, but that isn’t exactly what the Ravens had in mind when they gave him big money that would have been better spent on the offensive side of the ball last offseason. Weddle brings needed intangibles to the secondary, but you hope his range holds up for another year and his tackling bounces back to 2016 levels. The safety position really epitomizes the frustration of the post-Super Bowl XLVII Ravens as the organization unsuccessfully used early draft picks (Matt Elam and Terrence Brooks) and wasted too many free-agent dollars (Michael Huff, Darian Stewart, and Kendrick Lewis) before getting to this expensive point.
