Each year, once the NFL draft and schedule is released, the content machine begins to slow down, forcing writers covering specific teams or the league in general to get more creative when coming up with topics to cover for their readers.
Some people are overly optimistic or pessimistic about their predictions and predictions. On the other hand, some people clearly crave engagement through aggregation. So they pump out clickbait that they know will make headlines and spread on social media. A recent article by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kaye, labeling the most overrated players at each position entering the 2024 season, falls into the latter category.
Kay’s pick for the league’s most overrated cornerback is Marlon Humphrey, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Baltimore Ravens. This is not only wrong, it is completely irrational, and he started the argument with contradictory statements.
“Marlon Humphrey is only one year removed from his last three Pro Bowl appearances, but his All-Pro appearance in 2019 has been a multi-year decline and he is no longer one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL,” Kay said. wrote.
What does it mean to say that a player has been “deteriorating for years” just one year removed from the best season of his career in which he didn’t allow a single touchdown? In 2022, Humphrey covered 626 snaps without allowing a score, the most in the league over 200. pro football focus.
Kaye went on to mention how Humphrey’s salary level as the league’s fourth-highest paid cornerback in terms of average salary is out of proportion to his recent level of play, which he said was also incorrect. Despite multiple injuries in 2023, including foot surgery during training camp that halted his preparation and delayed his debut, Humphrey still recorded just one touchdown, 21 completions, a career-low completion percentage (46.7) and the lowest opponent passer rating (64.6) in 10 games last year, according to Pro Football Reference.
“His influence on the game is rapidly diminishing,” Kaye wrote. “He’s getting hit in coverage more and more, and he’s dangerously close to becoming a liability going into his eighth NFL season.”
Apparently, the only Ravens game Kaye attended last year was Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which happened to be an injury-related game for Humphrey, who missed the first four games of the regular season while recovering from foot surgery. It was also his first game after returning from the game. Coincidentally, this was also the only game in which he allowed a touchdown, a drop by a Ravens receiver early in the game that slowed the game down and led to the game-winner.
Kay listed the catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns Humphrey allowed three years ago last season, but here we also discuss how Humphrey was shutout as the closest defender in 2022. He did not say how he followed up with the top team. -In the 2019 professional season, he led the league in forced fumbles eight times and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year in 2020.
Cornerback play and production is one of the most difficult elements of the game to judge from year to year based on a myriad of factors, including health, opposing quarterback schedules, strategy, and it goes without saying that this position I’m naturally fickle.
“Humphrey could bounce back in 2024 by staying healthy and shutting down opposing pass catchers, but he hasn’t been able to do both in a season in quite some time,” Kay wrote. “Given how much he makes each year, it shouldn’t be unusual and should be an annual occurrence.”
Once again, Kay’s perception of time needs to be diluted or measured in dog-ears. That’s because 2022 is just one season at this point, and Humphrey still had a solid year in 2023, even though he hasn’t fully come into his own.
The upper cornerback pecking order changes from year to year as hot new players on the block burst onto the scene and make their mark early in their respective careers. But Humphrey is only 27, in his mid-30s, and won’t turn 28 until July. His contract will look like a bargain next offseason when Sauce Gardner and Patrick Surtain will be eligible for a big-money reset. cornerback market. Humphrey won’t be the highest-paid defensive back on his team for long, either, as 2023 first-team All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton is also eligible for an extension after the 2024 season.
There are plenty of other veteran cornerbacks who deserve the title of most overrated. That includes two from the Dallas Cowboys, who have racked up a ton of interceptions but are regularly burned by big gains and touchdowns, which is a rarity for Humphrey. . He will be the leader of a three-head and potentially four-head monster at cornerback for the Ravens in 2024. The Ravens also have 2023 breakout star Brandon Stevens and rookies Nate Wiggins and TJ Tampa.
Kay’s declaration was so comical that Humphrey himself couldn’t help but poke fun at it, quote-tweeting an excerpt from the article.
