Entering the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens clearly weren’t satisfied with their secondary.
The unit drastically improved in the latter half of last year but still allowed 4,468 passing yards on the season, second-most in the league. Baltimore helped remedy this by drafting Georgia safety Malaki Starks, arguably the top prospect at his position.
The Ravens also signed Chidobe Awuzie this offseason as a veteran outside cornerback, but with Awuzie’s injury history, the position still had room for growth. The Green Bay Packers released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander June 9, and Baltimore instantly became one of his top suitors.
“Go get him, Eric,” Lamar Jackson, who was teammates with Alexander at Louisville, said on June 17, referring to general manager Eric DeCosta.
A day later, DeCosta honored the two-time MVP’s wish by signing Alexander.
Former Packers fullback and current sideline analyst John Kuhn has high hopes for Alexander in Baltimore, but acknowledges his injury history.
“[Alexander] is a guy that, the last two seasons that he’s played 15 games, he’s made All-Pro in the NFL. Unfortunately, those were three and five seasons ago,” Kuhn said on Glenn Clark Radio June 19. “It’s been injuries and, as [Packers general manager] Brian Gutekunst said … this simply came down to [Alexander] wasn’t on the field to warrant the contract that he wanted.”
The 5-foot-10, 196-pound cornerback was limited to just seven games last season, but made an impact nonetheless. He logged seven passes defended and a pair of interceptions, including a 35-yard pick-six against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3.
Kuhn praised the Ravens for mitigating the injury risk by signing Alexander to a team-friendly contract.
“I think it was a very good play by the Baltimore Ravens. Not a whole lot of risk there at the cornerback position, you talk about $4 million, a couple of million in … incentive-based money as well,” Kuhn said.
For a 28-year-old player who spent seven years with the organization that drafted him, Kuhn said a new environment can do wonders to revitalize a career.
“There should be a lot of good football left in Jaire Alexander,” Kuhn said.
And while Alexander is accustomed to covering the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver, he won’t necessarily be expected to do that with the Ravens, playing next to Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins.
Kuhn noted that Alexander carried himself with a certain swagger that may have turned some people off, but that isn’t uncommon among elite cornerbacks.
“You show me [No. 1 cornerbacks] around the league that aren’t a little bit different. They kind of have to be … and I’m going back to the age of Deion Sanders,” Kuhn said. “When you’re a shutdown corner, when you believe you’re the best in the game, you gotta walk around with some swag.”
Kuhn said that Alexander has been great during interviews and has a bright personality, though he’s had moments that have raised some eyebrows.
“There have been moments in the past where you scratch your head. For example, two years ago down in Carolina, where he chose to elect himself a captain, take the field, go out for the coin toss, and actually call the coin flip. He was suspended for that game,” Kuhn said.
Above all else, though, Alexander wants to be in Baltimore. He took a significant pay cut to join the Ravens, likely influenced at least in part by the college connection he has with Jackson.
“I absolutely think that playing with Lamar Jackson could potentially make [Alexander] more focused. It could bring him back into the total team mindset that it takes to really propel your team to the next level,” Kuhn said.
For more from Kuhn, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Evan Siegle/Green Bay Packers