The Ravens re-signed veteran cornerback Jimmy Smith after he hit free agency this offseason and his 10th season with the team may see him take on some new responsibilities.
With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters set as the top two cornerbacks and Tavon Young ready to resume slot duties after recovering from a neck injury, Smith’s playing time at cornerback is likely to go down. His time at safety could be going up, however.
Brandon Carr played some safety last season and he’s not back with the team, which opens the door for Smith to move into that hybrid role. Smith said in May that he thinks he’ll “be in some type of new role” and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale discussed that possibility in a Tuesday conference call.
“It’s a wait and see thing. . . . Jimmy’s already done what Brandon Carr did last year,” Martindale said. “We’ve put him against good tight ends to cover them in special situations.”
Martindale said that the team will always put the best 11 players on the field, but that it “could be a different set of 11" for different situations. He also said the team has to see everything in practice before knowing exactly how Smith and everyone else will line up this fall.