Can the Ravens Secondary Survive Jimmy Smith's Absence?

When the dust cleared after the Baltimore Ravens were routed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had thrown six touchdown passes. 

Mainly at fault were the Ravens' secondary, particularly fill-in cornerbacks Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown. Franks and Brown were tasked with filling in for Jimmy Smith, initially out for "a few weeks" with a foot sprain, and Asa Jackson, who is on the injured reserve-recall list for a toe injury.

Now, the situation has gotten even more critical with the Ravens announcing on Thursday that Smith will be undergoing season-ending surgery on his foot. 

The Ravens were quick to identify who to blame, and the team released both Franks and Brown on Tuesday. They then picked up cornerback Danny Gorrer, most recently of the Detroit Lions and who had played with the Ravens in 2011 and promoted Tramain Jacobs from the practice squad.

Gorrer, Jacobs and Lardarius Webb, therefore, are the only three healthy cornerbacks on the Ravens' active roster. Corner was a thin position for the Ravens heading into the season, and the current situation, with Smith done for the year and Jackson injured, only highlights it. 

The Ravens have been missing Smith most of all. Prior to his injury, he had allowed only 20 receptions on 39 targets for 163 yards, 42 yards after the catch and no touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He also had one interception and four passes defensed.

In contrast, Brown and Franks had given up a combined four touchdowns this season, with no interceptions.

Gorrer is not a shutdown corner by any means, but he does provide an upgrade over both Brown and Franks and will be starting on the outside alongside Webb.

Player	Tgts.	Caught	Catch %	Yds.	YAC	TD	INT	PD
Franks	28	18	64.3%	219	50	2	0	3
Brown	19	11	57.9%	260	98	2	0	1
Elam	24	17	70.8%	277	122	1	0	1
Gorrer*	14	10	71.4%	119	54	0	0	1
Jacobs**	10	7	70.0%	62	11	0	0	1

In 174 snaps played for the Lions this year, Gorrer has given up 10 catches on 14 targets for 119 yards, 54 yards after the catch and, most importantly, zero touchdowns. He doesn't have an interception and had just one pass defensed, but he's not giving up scores, which is the Ravens' most pressing concern.

The undrafted rookie Jacobs is more of an unknown quantity. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees said in August that Jacobs is:

"

A really good, young talent who just needs to see it live more and more. I think the upside on this guy is great. Is he there yet? No. He has a ways to go. But usually you can tell whether a guy has a ways to go and can get there or [if] a guy has got a ways to go and there's always going to be a ways to go. He has got a ways to go, but he's going to get there.

"

A press cornerback for Texas A&M, Jacobs has credited his time working against wide receiver Mike Evans for shaping him into a better player. In 86 preseason snaps played, Jacobs gave up seven catches on 10 targets for 62 yards, 11 yards after the catch, with zero touchdowns allowed, zero interceptions and one pass defensed.

The thinness at cornerback has already forced the Ravens into getting creative, and that creativity should continue even though they have shuffled the position. In September, the Ravens began experimenting with safety Matt Elam as the nickel cornerback after Jackson suffered a concussion and Webb was sidelined with a back injury. 

According to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com, Elam was the nickel corner when the Ravens put Jeromy Miles in at safety, alongside Darian Stewart. The same pattern repeated in Week 9, except with Will Hill working at safety with Elam as the nickel corner; Miles played only nine snaps in that game.

Jason Miller/Getty Images

At both safety and cornerback this year, Elam has allowed 17 catches on 24 targets for 277 yards and 122 yards after the catch. He's given up one touchdown, has one pass defensed and no interceptions.

While moving Elam from safety to cornerback on a situational basis does show the Ravens' desperation, it also highlights Elam's versatility and his comfort level with the defense in his second season. He wouldn't be out there playing corner if he wasn't capable of it, which is at least one positive to come out of Baltimore's depth problems.

Another positive is that with every passing week, that's one week closer to both Jackson return. He should be available to the team in the important last few weeks of the season, a stretch that after the Ravens' Week 11 bye features a trio of pass-heavy offenses—the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

For now, the Ravens will have to weather the storm with their newly configured secondary and try to minimize Smith's loss for the season as best as they can.

On paper, it looks like Gorrer and Jacobs will be upgrades over Brown and Franks—though they've given up a high percentage of catches, they haven't been giving up touchdowns. The Ravens will gladly take bend-but-don't-break over what Franks and Brown have contributed.

Further, the continued incorporation of Elam in the nickel means there are ways for the Ravens to get their best, most healthy remaining defensive backs on the field.

Stat	Value	Rank
Completion %	59.77%	26th
Pass Yds/Game	219.9	24th
Pass Yds/Game—Away	189.0	30th
Pass TD/Game	1.4	20th

Luckily for the Ravens, their final competitor before the bye is the Tennessee Titans, who have the misfortune of facing off in Baltimore against an angry host. The Titans are averaging a pass completion percentage of just 59.77 percent, average 219.9 passing yards per game and 189.0 on the road, and 1.4 passing touchdowns per game. 

A combination of even slightly better play in the secondary against such an inferior passing offense should result in the Ravens pass defense looking far better than it did in Week 9.

The Ravens should be able to handle Smith's loss at least through Week 10. Hopefully, after the bye the dust will settle and the Ravens can close out the season on a high note.

This is certainly the worst-case outcome for Smith's injury, but the Ravens at least have options they feel more confident in than the Franks-Brown mistake from last week.