Baltimore Ravens: Predicting individual awards in 2019
By Luke Parrish
MVP: Earl Thomas
The Ravens replaced Eric Weddle by making a big splash in free agency. Earl Thomas signed a four-year contract worth up to $55 million in March. Thomas has consistently been one of the best safeties in the NFL since the Legion of Boom took the football world by storm.
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Things fell apart, however, between Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks over the past few years, leading him out of town. Thomas suffered a broken leg early in the 2018 season without a guaranteed future, the final straw in his growing rift with the organization.
Baltimore swooped in and signed Thomas to step in at safety. The Ravens know how to utilize the back end of the defense. Ed Reed and Weddle are two Hall of Fame safeties who were captains of the defense. Thomas is the newest safety to fulfill that honor.
The defense lost several key pieces, but Thomas is expecting to keep them near the top of the league. Coming off an injury will present a few questions for Thomas, but his skill set is off the charts. His ability to play a ball-hawking role and feed off the successes of his corners will be huge.
The Ravens are going to get to the quarterback and force bad throws. It will be Thomas’ job to make them pay for mistakes and intercept passes down the field. If he Thomas generates turnovers, the Baltimore Ravens can be a playoff threat once again. If not, the defense will see quite the drop off from recent years.
This list would typically include a “best newcomer” award, but Earl Thomas wins by virtue of being the team’s MVP.