In the opening days of the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp, safety Kyle Hamilton has notice something different about cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
“He was getting a little gut last year,” Hamilton said on Tuesday. “He wasn’t playing a lot. He just had a little chunkiness, but he dropped it. He’s at his property in Bama doing the workouts, and he’s looking good. He’s got the abs back. He’s looking good out there. He’s running, he’s covering very well right now, and I’m excited to see him this year.”
Injuries caused Humphrey to miss eight games last season, the same number he’d missed in his first six seasons with the Ravens combined.
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“Yes, I slimmed down a little bit,” Humphrey said on Tuesday. “It was kind of by design. I kind of looked at the past, I looked at my better seasons, and I was a little bit lighter those years, so I decided to get around a little bit lower of a weight. I’ve been feeling, moving pretty well at it, so we’ll kind of see how it wiggles around with training camp. I’ve really been talking advantage of Sarah (Snyder), our (director of sports nutrition). I’ve been really trying to lean on the resources the Ravens offer, do things kind of the right way instead of my usual, which is just like don’t eat -- which is not the best route -- so I’ve really, really been trying to slim up a little bit and kind of go with the plan that she’s put out for me. …
“I’m around 190 (pounds). I came in 195. I’ve been playing the past couple of seasons probably around 200 or so, so, basically, ever since I tore my pec as I hit around 25, I got my grown-man weight on me, and it just never went off, so I just stuck with it. But it’s a young man’s game, so I decided to get a little lower.”
Humphrey missed the first four games of the 2023 season after having foot surgery during training camp. He was out for two more games in November because of a calf injury. Another calf injury sidelined him for the regular-season finale and the playoff opener.
“Last year was a unique year,” Humphrey said. “It was a lot of firsts, I would say. Mentally, I always felt -- I don’t know. I’m a mental guy, so I always go into any game thinking I’m ready to go. The first game, I sprinted one time before I played in the first game, on that Friday, so there were a lot of things. Every time I felt like I was pretty healthy, it seemed like I got hurt the next game. Not really making the excuses, but, basically, what I’ve tried to do this offseason is to prepare a little better for even when you’re hurt, getting whatever. You got to prepare for the worst. …
“I had certain injuries where you needed rest, and I think I overtook some of the rest time, and then just thought I could just play in the game Sunday and be my usual self, so that’s probably some of the things I regret. But mainly, it’s such a long season, I wasn’t really used to being hurt a lot. It was just something I wasn’t used to. I know a lot of guys go into games hurt every single game. I’ve done that a ton in my past, as well, but last year was a little different for me, but I’m kind of ready for whatever this year.”
Humphrey earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2019 and has been chosen for the Pro Bowl three times.
“Having Marlon Humphrey at full speed and at his best would be massively beneficial,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on Sunday, “and that’s what we expect him to be. He’s in great shape. You saw it today in practice. He looked great. He gives us some great versatility in the back end moving guys around. So I would never discount Marlon Humphrey if I was an opponent.
“I believe in Marlon. I think he’s one of the best players – one of the very, very best corners – in the National Football League.”
Humphrey was a three-time All-State football player at Hoover High School and helped the Buccaneers capture the AHSAA Class 6A football titles in 2012 and 2013.
Humphrey also won six individual state track championships at Hoover and set state records in 400-meter run, 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles on the same day at the 2013 AHSAA indoor championships.
Humphrey played on Alabama’s CFP national championship team for the 2015 season and was a first-team All-American selection by the Football Writers Association of America for the 2016 season.
Humphrey joined Baltimore as the 16th selection in the 2017 draft.
The Ravens open their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles and kick off their regular-season slate on Sept. 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the NFL’s 2024 campaign.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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