How the Ravens defense can survive in wake of CB Marcus Peters’ injury

The Baltimore Ravens sustained multiple big losses in practice a few days ago when running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters went down for the season with torn ACLs on back-to-back plays. Edwards is a player that will be hard to replace, but with Baltimore’s high volume and highly successful rushing offense, the combination of Ty’Son Williams, Latavius Murray, and more should be able to keep the Ravens’ ground game afloat. However, Peters will be a much harder player to find an alternative for.

Peters is known for his ball-hawking skills and high football IQ. He’s accumulated 31 interceptions throughout his seven-year career, and his incredible game sense can trick quarterbacks into making poor throws that look like high percentage ones when they release the ball. A player like that isn’t easy to find, and his role will likely be taken on by multiple members of the secondary.

With Peters out, Baltimore will turn to Anthony Averett to be their No. 2 cornerback opposite of All-Pro Marlon Humphrey. The fourth-year cornerback has stepped in due to injuries before, but he hasn’t had a role as big as the one he’s entering now.

Over the course of his three-year career, Averett has totaled 47 total tackles and 11 passes defended, also failing to record an interception. However, despite his box score stats not popping off of the page, he has shown improvement in each of his first three seasons. He sometimes has issues locating the ball and making a play on it, but plays tight coverage on most of his assignments. Averett will see the biggest increase in playing time, and the Ravens seem to be very confident in him, with defensive coordinator Don Martindale calling him the third-best cornerback on the team.

Other players who will have to step up in the absence of Peters include cornerbacks Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, and Chris Westry. Smith and Young will likely have to play many more snaps with Peters out, and with both players being rather injury prone their availability will be even more paramount. Westry is a young but promising prospect who has amazing athletic gifts, and could be asked to use his 6-foot-4 frame as well as his 4.31 speed to match up with opposing pass catchers.

Secondary depth is something that Baltimore has never been shy about keeping. It has been one of the deepest positions on the team for many years, but it has also been decimated by injuries during some seasons. However, that’s not the only area of the defense that will have to step up.

The Ravens’ pass rush will also have to be better with Peters out of the picture. The luxury of having a player like Peters is that he makes an entire defensive unit better. His coverage skills allow more time for the pass rush to get to the quarterback. Now that he’s gone, Baltimore will have to get to the quarterback in more of a hurry than usual, so players like Justin Houston, Tyus Bowser, Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe and more will be relied upon to help the secondary out. The Ravens might also be inclined to blitz less to provide more players in coverage on each play, but that seems unlikely given how important blitzing is in Martindale’s defense.

Overall, the loss of Peters is a monumental one for Baltimore’s defense. There’s no sugar coating how important he is to the team, but the Ravens are built for sustainable success, even with injuries taken into account. Now it’s on the depth to step up, as they can help soften the blow of losing Peters if they perform at a high level throughout the year.