Baltimore Ravens News: Lardarius Webb, Gino Gradkowski
Baltimore Ravens star cornerback Lardarius Webb probably should have made it into the Pro Bowl this season after leading the league in passes defended with 23, and he also recorded a career-high 74 tackles. Webb is one of the best playmaking corners in the NFL, and his 2013 season was a return to his 2011 form, when he broke out as one of the league’s elite corners. One of the best players on the Ravens defense, Webb’s ability to cover the slot and the outside, as well his ability to stop the run make him one of the most valuable cornerbacks in the game.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated that Webb will undergo surgery on a sports hernia that he has been slogging through this season. He suffered what was termed as a thigh strain in late September, which means that Webb may have played through this injury for a few months. He’ll be good-to-go for OTAs and the like ,and I would be shocked if he didn’t have a great year next season and missed out on the Pro Bowl.
Webb isn’t the only starter on the Ravens who will undergo surgery in the offseason, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets that center Gino Gradkowski will undergo a knee procedure in the offseason to clean things up. Gradkowski didn’t suffer any known injuries this season, and Matt Birk’s replacement at center needs to step it up in 2014. He was part of the problem on offense this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he loses his job in training camp in a position battle.