Ravens All-Pro Cornerback to Make 2023 Debut vs. Steelers

Pro Bowl Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is expected to make his 2023 debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, according to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Humphrey was officially listed as questionable by the Ravens on Friday. He has not yet played this season after undergoing foot surgery back in August. He was limited in his return to practice for the first time on Wednesday, and again on Thursday, but was a full participant in Friday’s practice.

A three-time Pro Bowler and a 2019 All-Pro, Humphrey is a significant piece of the puzzle for the Baltimore defense, not only for his coverage skills, but for his tackling and specifically, his ability to strip the football. Humphrey led the NFL in forced fumbles in 2020 and has 13 in his five NFL seasons leading up to this one.

In 11 career games against the Steelers, Humphrey has 37 tackles, one for loss, two passes defended, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

With Humphrey out of the lineup, Brandon Stephens has been replacing him at outside cornerback. Stephens also plays inside, where he is expected to split time with ex-Steelers cornerback Arthur Maulet.

Ronald Darby, a free agent from Denver, is the other starting cornerback, replacing longtime stalwart Marcus Peters, who was not re-signed this offseason and caught on with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Not having Humphrey in the fold hasn’t hurt the Ravens passing defense that much. Baltimore is ranked third in the NFL with 168.3 passing yards against per game through three weeks, though it should be noted that the Ravens have faced rookie quarterbacks Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in three of their first four games and a hobble Joe Burrow in the other.

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