Jimmy Smith

Smith is entering a new phase of his career with the Ravens as he's no longer counted on to be a lockdown corner on the outside. Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters occupy those spots, so Smith is now more of a rotational piece. He got acclimated to that role in 2019 because talented nickel corner Tavon Young was out, and now that Young is back, Smith could be facing another barrier to playing time. Smith will still be a contributor in the defensive backfield, but he's no longer a player that the Ravens are relying on to lock up opposing teams' top receivers.

A torn Achilles in December clouds where Smith's IDP value lies. When Smith is healthy, he's an elite cornerback, but health has evaded him in recent years as he's played all 16 games just once in the last four seasons.The Ravens' depth at cornerback means that Smith doesn't need to rush back. Marlon Humphrey looks primed to take a step forward in 2018, Brandon Carr can still provide reliable coverage on the opposite side and Tavon Young (knee) is ready to resume slot duties. The recovery timeline factor combined with the fact that he is never a source of counting stats for IDP purposes means he can likely be left on the waiver wire until we see which version of Jimmy Smith is playing in 2018.

When it comes to Smith, the conversation usually begins and ends with “...if he's healthy.” Smith, a former first-round selection, was enjoying a true breakout season in 2014 before a foot injury cut a potential Pro Bowl season short. He wasn't as sharp last season, but Smith was still Baltimore's top corner before a late-season ankle injury landed him on IR. Smith is fully healthy entering his seventh professional season, and past evidence suggests that he's a reliable source of tackles from a secondary spot when he does play 16 games. Quarterbacks tend to attack whichever corner is playing opposite Smith, so his interception totals are never gaudy, but Smith is a hard-nosed corner who excels at finding the ball in run support and is a valuable source of tackles for a defensive back in IDP formats.

Smith turned in arguably his best season as a pro in 2015, as he recorded his first career sack, a career high three interceptions, 54 tackles, and 10 passes defensed while playing on 94.2 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps. He’ll be the team’s No. 1 corner once again in 2016 and could turn in a comparable year to last season if he stays healthy.

Smith signed a four-year extension in April while still recovering from a season-ending Lisfranc injury. Although may still be limited at the start of training camp, the Ravens expect Smith to be starting at right cornerback come Week 1. He's been effective when healthy, but his strong work in coverage hasn't translated into impressive stats.

Smith, a 2011 first-round pick, finally lived up to expectations in 2013, emerging as a solid starter. He has excellent size (6-2, 200), good speed and fairly reliable hands, but still only recorded 58 tackles and two interceptions in 16 games. While a small jump in production seems likely, he isn't a great run defender and doesn't have the best ball skills, so he's probably more valuable to the Ravens than your fantasy team.

Smith's first two years have mostly been a major disappointment, but he came up with two huge plays in the final minutes of the Super Bowl and will try to build off that momentum. He'll compete against Corey Graham for a starting job in training camp, and Graham is probably the favorite, despite not having Smith's first-round pedgiree.

Smith has premier talent, and has been manning one of the starting corner spots in training camp as a rookie. As long as he keeps his head straight, he could hold onto the spot all season.