OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens’ secondary will be under pressure again Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So far, the season has been a struggle for Baltimore’s cornerbacks and safeties. The Ravens rank 31st in the NFL against the pass, allowing 275.7 yards per game.
One of the players who has been criticized is safety Marcus Williams, who has struggled in coverage and has yet to create a turnover. Opposing quarterbacks have a 145.1 rating against him, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr defended Williams’ performance and said the stats don’t tell the entire story. Orr has told Williams to remain confident because he is one of the top safeties in the league.
“He’s a safety, so on film and on TV and during the games, he’s the last line of defense, so it always looks like he might be at fault, but that’s far from the truth,” Orr said. “He’s doing some good things. Obviously, just like a lot of our guys, he can play better, and he knows that, and he’s working at that. … I think we’re going to see Marcus Williams really turn it up in these next couple of games.”
Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield knows the Ravens well from his time in Cleveland. Baker is performing much better for the Buccaneers than he did with the Browns. He has completed 134 of 189 passes for 1,489 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in six games.
Baltimore’s secondary will be further challenged to contain Tampa Bay’s two strong wide receivers — Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Godwin leads the team with 43 receptions for 511 yards with five touchdowns. Evans has caught 25 passes for 310 yards with five scores.
The Ravens might have to employ nickel and dime packages to defend the Buccaneers’ passing game. Baltimore’s cornerbacks will have a tough time matching up man-to-man against Godwin and Evans.
“Baker has been doing a great job since he’s gotten there, and their offense is running pretty smoothly right now,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “They’re playing physical. They have a few backs back there who are running the ball pretty hard. Their scheme is good, receivers are good, quarterback is good, [and the] O-line is playing [well]. So yes, it’s a good challenge for us to go into Tampa Bay and hopefully come out with a win.”
The Ravens could get a boost this week against the Buccaneers with the debut of cornerback Arthur Maulet, who has been sidelined since training camp with knee and hamstring issues.
Maulet, 31, became a valuable player in the Ravens’ defense last season, especially when Marlon Humphrey was sidelined with an injury. Maulet had 37 tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defensed, 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games, including three starts.
That performance led the Ravens to re-sign him to a two-year, $4 million deal in March. Maulet said that he wanted to return to Baltimore and did not test the free-agent market.
The return of Maulet could create a rotation for players such as rookie Nate Wiggins, Ar’Darius Washington and Eddie Jackson. That is a good problem for Orr, who said competition for playing time benefits the team.
“It’s a deep, talented group; we still believe that,” Orr said. “Obviously, it is what it is [in terms of] what we’ve done so far this season, but we’re still a very talented group, and it’s going to be tough to try to find different ways to get guys on the field, but it’s good though. I think it brings a good midseason competition of who can go out there and go do what. Who can go out there and execute at the best and the highest level? And the guys that can do that, they’ll probably be out there.”