OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Kyle Hamilton called it “a great addition.” Both Marlon Humphrey and head coach John Harbaugh said they were “really excited.” Just before their team’s final June workout, the Ravens’ deep roster grew even deeper with the signing of Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander to a one-year deal.
Terms were not announced, but The Athletic reported that Alexander would be paid $4 million and could earn as much as $6 million with incentives.
Alexander, 28, had spent his first seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, who selected him No. 18 overall in the 2018 draft out of Louisville, where he was teammates with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Packers and Alexander parted ways earlier this month because of a contract dispute.
A day before the Ravens signed him, Jackson had been asked about the possibility of reuniting with Alexander, and Jackson said that general manager Eric DeCosta should “go get him.”
Harbaugh said discussions with Alexander had been “behind the scenes, in the works for a little bit, and I know he wanted to be here, and we wanted him here. … It made Lamar happy. I think it made everybody happy. It’s just an opportunity to become a better team.”
Alexander was at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center for the second day of mandatory minicamp after signing his contract, but he did not take part in practice. He watched individual drills with the defensive backs and watched full-team periods from the sideline, speaking at times with new teammates and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti.
“I mean, he’s been one of the best in this league since he got in it,” Hamilton said, “and to have anybody like that, no matter what position room it is, especially as a DB, it’s super valuable.”
To make room on the roster for Alexander, the team waived undrafted rookie running back Sone Ntoh.
If everyone is healthy, the Ravens could trot out a secondary in Week 1 at Buffalo featuring five former first-round draft picks: Alexander and Nate Wiggins at outside cornerback, Marlon Humphrey in the slot, and Kyle Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks at safety.
“I think that kind of comes with an added expectation that we welcome,” Hamilton said. “We really have no excuses to not go out there and do what we need to do. So, it’s on us at the end of the day, and pressure is a privilege. [I’m] excited for us to have that privilege.”
Alexander’s health has been his biggest issue. He has played every game just once in seven seasons and has missed 34 games over the past four seasons.
Last year, Alexander missed 10 games with various injuries, including a knee injury that sidelined him for the final seven games. In 2023, he also missed 10 games. He dealt with a shoulder injury, and he was also suspended by the Packers for one game after a bizarre incident in which he inserted himself into the pregame coin toss without the team’s knowledge.
Alexander’s upside is obvious. The cornerback recorded 10 interceptions and 58 passes defensed over his first five seasons, including a career-best five interceptions in 2022. Earlier that year, Alexander had signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Packers. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2022.
But the Packers and Alexander couldn’t agree on a reworked contract this spring after several injury-marred seasons, and he was released earlier this month after the Packers unsuccessfully sought to trade him.
The Ravens live by former general manager Ozzie Newsome’s mantra that “you can never have too many corners,” and Alexander certainly bolsters the depth and pedigree of this group.
But it’s also a group with a lengthy injury history.
The Ravens signed veteran Chidobe Awuzie this offseason as a veteran outside cornerback, but he missed nine games last season with a groin injury and missed the second half of the 2022 season with a torn ACL. Jalyn Armour-Davis, a Ravens fourth-round pick in 2022, has missed 32 of 51 career games and has landed on injured reserve in each of his three NFL seasons. T.J. Tampa, who has made several interceptions during OTA and minicamp workouts this spring, was slowed in training camp last year by a sports hernia injury and then missed time with an ankle injury. He played in seven of 17 games as a rookie.
The Ravens need to replace Brandon Stephens, who left as a free agent, in one of the few position vacancies on this year’s team. The Ravens can play Humphrey and Wiggins as outside corners in a base alignment, but the Ravens prefer Humphrey to play the slot in nickel packages, leaving one outside spot open.
Alexander, Armour-Davis, Awuzie and Tampa all could be in contention for that spot, but they will need to stay healthy to factor in the competition. The Ravens also drafted a pair of cornerbacks in the sixth round this year in Bilhal Kone from Western Michigan and Robert Longerbeam from Rutgers.
“When you’ve got corners, you don’t have to worry about your corners,” Harbaugh said. “And it’s kind of a big deal because a lot of plays are made out there on that red line, on that outside third part of the field. That’s an area of the field that really needs to be defended. … I thought we had an excellent bunch of corners yesterday, and we added one more excellent corner today, so it’s that much better.”
NOTEBOOK
TRAINING CAMP DATES, JOINT PRACTICES ANNOUNCED: The NFL released its training camp dates for each team. The Ravens rookies will report to camp on July 15, with veterans returning July 22. The league also released its leaguewide schedule of joint practices. The Ravens will host the Indianapolis Colts in a joint practice on Aug. 5, two days before the teams play the preseason opener at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens will visit the Washington Commanders for a joint practice in Ashburn, Va., on Aug. 21, two days before the teams play in the preseason finale.
Photo Credit: Evan Siegle/Green Bay Packers