The Baltimore Ravens have strengthened their secondary and added depth on defense with the addition of ex-Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington.
A former 2008 undrafted free agent out of Hofstra (a school that ended its football program in 2009), Arrington has managed to establish himself as a solid and versatile slot corner over the last five seasons with the Patriots. During that span, he’s appeared in all but two contests with 56 starts and amassed a total of 334 tackles with 48 pass breakups, three sacks and five forced fumbles.
Seven of his nine career interceptions came in 2011, when he shared the title for the NFL’s interceptions leader with Charles Woodson and Eric Weddle.
Though he’s coming off a down 2014 campaign, Arrington was reportedly atop the Ravens’ wish list after getting released by the Patriots earlier this past week.
Regarded as one of the league’s better slot corners, Arrington will provide a much-needed upgrade as the nickel CB and a feisty cover man inside the numbers for a defense that was routinely torched against the pass last year due to an unbelievable string of injuries that struck the secondary.
Five Ravens cornerbacks went down with season-ending injuries last year: Jimmy Smith (Lisfranc surgery), Danny Gorrer (knee), Aaron Ross (torn Achilles), Tramain Jacobs (thigh) and Asa Jackson (torn PCL). Third-round rookie safety Terrance Brooks (PCL) also landed on I.R. Anthony Levine (concussion) also missed some time, and two other corners (Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown) were released due to poor play.
Free agent cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Cary Williams were out of the Ravens’ price range in March, and top-tier rookie corners Kevin Johnson and Marcus Peters were off the board by the time the Ravens went on the clock with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
So the team stuck to its board and waited until the fourth round to snatch up Texas Southern’s Trae Walker in the fourth round and then pounced on the opportunity to land Arrington.
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