Cornerback was one of the last remaining holes on the Baltimore Ravens‘ roster, but they added a veteran insurance policy on Wednesday. Baltimore has reached a one-year agreement with Rock Ya-Sin, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Ya-Sin, who spent last season with the Raiders after being traded by the Colts, can earn up to $6 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Baltimore Ravens Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin
Marcus Peters, who started 13 games for the Ravens in 2022, remains a free agent, and Baltimore hadn’t done much to compensate for his loss. The Ravens claimed Trayvon Mullen off waivers from the Raiders in January and re-signed him in March, but they waited until the fifth round of the draft to address their cornerback room by selecting Stanford’s Kyu Blu Kelly.
Ya-Sin, chosen at the top of the second round in the 2019 NFL Draft, has never developed into a CB1 like the Colts might have hoped for when they added him out of Temple. But he was one of the best cornerbacks still available on the open market, and he’s entering just his age-27 season.
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Ya-Sin, who has only brief experience in the slot, can compete with Brandon Stephens to start opposite Marlon Humphrey. If Ya-Sin can win a starting role, Stephens could potentially move inside and take over for Damarion Williams, who is currently projected to play the majority of snaps in the slot.
Cornerback is a weak-link position where teams need plenty of bodies. Humphrey is usually pretty banged up — 2022 marked the first time he’d completed a full slate of games. Ya-Sin himself missed six games with a knee issue last season and ended the year on injured reserve.
Secondary depth was such a problem in Baltimore that they could probably still stand to add another corner even after signing Ya-Sin. But the Ravens might feel as though Kelly, last year’s fourth-round pick Jalyn Armour-Davis, and veterans like Kevon Seymour and Daryl Worley can hold down the fort if injuries strike again.
Why the Ravens Waited Until May To Sign Rock Ya-Sin
By waiting until after May 1 to sign Ya-Sin, the Ravens ensured they would not lose a potential compensatory pick. Baltimore, who originally met with Ya-Sin in March, is projected to land a fourth-round choice in 2024 as a result of losing guard Ben Powers to the Broncos.
Free agents signed after May 1 don’t count in the NFL’s compensatory pick formula. Had the Ravens signed Ya-Sin in March or April, they might have canceled out the selection they’re on track to earn in exchange for Powers’ defection.
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Meanwhile, while we haven’t seen the structure or incentives involved in Ya-Sin’s new contract, “up to” $6 million still represents a pretty significant payday for a free agent at this stage of the game. Most players still available at this point in the calendar usually sign for something close to the league minimum.
Baltimore might be developing a bad habit of overpaying to fill obvious gaps on their roster. Earlier this year, the Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. — who didn’t play during the 2022 campaign — a one-year deal that includes $15 million guaranteed plus several easily-achievable incentives. It might have been the worst contract of the entire free agent period.
Like cornerback, wide receiver was an area of desperation for the Ravens, so it’s possible to see why they talked themselves into both of these deals. But the contracts for Ya-Sin and Beckham represent an odd turn for general manager Eric DeCosta, who typically doesn’t allow himself to get backed into a corner.