Baltimore Ravens 2019 Mid-Season Awards

At the halfway mark through the 2019 NFL season, it is time to take a look at some of the best Ravens players and performances. Here are The Baltimore Feather’s 2019 Baltimore Ravens Mid-Season Awards:

Best Play of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Winner: Marlon Humphrey’s Strip on JuJu Smith-Schuster to Win in Overtime

The best play of the half-year so far is Marlon Humphrey’s forced fumble and recovery on JuJu Smith-Schuster to seal a victory against the Steelers in overtime. The game was filled with ups and downs, and as the Ravens offense looked to be at its worst, the Ravens defense needed to come up with a big play to save the game. Humphrey made that play in overtime against Smith-Schuster, and the Ravens escaped Pittsburgh with a big win against their fiercest rival.

Most Disappointing Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Anthony Averett – CB
Tony Jefferson – SS
Jordan Lasley – WR
Chris Moore – WR
Seth Roberts – WR

Winner: Chris Moore – WR

The winner, err, loser, of this award, is none other than Chris Moore. Chris Moore, like last year, was supposed to step into a larger role in the offense, but again failed to do so. It is extremely disappointing to see Chris Moore, a player with immense talent, struggle to make an impact on offense. So far this year, he only has three receptions for 21 yards. At the time of writing this article, Moore suffered a thumb injury, and his spot on the roster is in jeopardy. At this rate, Moore may not be a Raven by the end of the year.

Assistant Coach of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Bobby Engram – Tight Ends Coach
Don “Wink” Martindale – Defensive Coordinator
Greg Roman – Offensive Coordinator
Matt Weiss – Running Backs Coach

Winner: Greg Roman – Offensive Coordinator

If I were to go back in time to the day Greg Roman was hired as offensive coordinator and tell you that under his leadership, the Baltimore Ravens would have the best offense in the National Football Leauge, would you believe me? Honestly, I would not have believed myself either. The Ravens rank second in total yards with 427.0 per game, first in rushing yards per game with 204.9, and are the league’s top-scoring offense, boasting an impressive 31.4 points per game. Roman has done an incredible job tailoring this offense around the second-year quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and should be recognized for his contributions in his first year as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator.

Rookie of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Miles Boykin – WR
Marquise Brown – WR
Justice Hill – RB

Winner: Marquise Brown – WR

What rookie has been more productive for the Ravens than Marquise Brown? Despite his injuries, Brown has been the best Ravens rookie by default. His 24 receptions for 374 yards is very impressive for a first-year receiver in a run-first offense, and no other rookie from the class is contributing like him. Jaylon Ferguson has yet to secure a sack, Miles Boykin is far behind Brown with 9 catches for 131 yards, Justice Hill only has 21 carries for 85 yards, and none of the remaining draft picks are starters. Brown’s elite speed is his best attribute, and if he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, he will likely earn the team’s Rookie of the Year Award.

Best Newcomer of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Josh Bynes – ILB
L.J. Fort – ILB
Mark Ingram – RB
Pernell McPhee – EDGE
Marcus Peters – CB
Earl Thomas – FS
Jihad Ward – DE

Winner: L.J. Fort – ILB

In a toss-up between the two inside linebackers on the list, L.J. Fort wins the Best Newcomer of the Half-Year award. L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes were signed by Eric DeCosta mid-season, as part of Baltimore’s effort to save the tanking inside the linebackers group. The signings worked, and Baltimore has seen much better play out of the group with these two players in it. Fort gets the nod for the award on the fact that he signed a contract extension with the Ravens, which will keep him in Baltimore for the next two years.

Most Improved Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Mark Andrews – TE
Maurice Canady – CB
Chuck Clark – SS
Lamar Jackson – QB

Winner: Chuck Clark – SS

Drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, not many people expected Chuck Clark to be playing a vital role in the Baltimore Ravens defense just two years later. Clark filled in for Tony Jefferson when the starting strong safety suffered an injury last year, and now must fill the same role again. Clark has shown his progression from 2018 to 2019. His football intelligence is his greatest asset, but Clark still has the raw talent and ability to get the job done on any given play.

Comeback Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Hayden Hurst – TE
Bennett Jackson – DB/ST
Jaleel Scott – WR

Winner: Hayden Hurst – TE

The Comeback Player of the Half-Year award is given to a Ravens player that showed great strength in coming back from an injury in the previous year. Hayden Hurst did not miss the entire 2018 season, but he was hampered throughout most of it. Hurst had a lingering foot injury that he dealt with and played throughout the entire season. Hurst’s rookie campaign was disappointing, but he is already showing massive improvement in 2019. Halfway through the year, Hurst already has his stats from last year. In 2018, Hurst caught 13 balls for 163 yards and a touchdown. In 2019, he has caught 16 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. Hurst, healthy, is on pace to double his rookie season numbers.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Mark Andrews – TE
Marquise Brown – WR
Mark Ingram – RB
Lamar Jackson – QB

Winner: Mark Ingram – RB

Mark Ingram, the soon to be 30-year-old running back, is quietly having the best season of his career. Ingram was always a good running back, but he seems to better in this offense than ever before. Ingram has rushed for 585 yards so far this season and is on pace to hit a career-high, 1,170 yards by the end of the season. Ingram is also averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season. Only once, in 2016, has he been that successful on the ground. Ingram fits this Ravens offense so well, because of his natural tendencies as a runner. Ingram is a north-south runner, the type of guy that would rather plow through the line of scrimmage than juke around defenders. He pairs perfectly with Lamar Jackson, an east-west runner at quarterback. Together, they create the perfect read-option plays, and each runner improves the efficiency of the other.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Josh Bynes – ILB
L.J. Fort – ILB
Marlon Humphrey – CB
Matthew Judon – EDGE

Winner: Marlon Humphrey – CB

Marlon Humphrey is incredibly important to the Baltimore Ravens. The third-year cornerback out of Alabama has proved to be one of the best young defensive talents in the National Football League. So far this year, Marlon Humphrey has locked down some of the best receivers in the game, like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham Jr. In just half the year, Marlon Humphrey has two interceptions, seven pass deflections, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two-scoop and score touchdowns. Humphrey also has 28 combined tackles, 23 solo tackles, three tackles for losses, and one quarterback hit. Humphrey is emerging as one of the brightest young stars in the game and is irrefutably the best defender on the Baltimore Ravens.

Special Teams Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Morgan Cox – LS
Bennett Jackson – Gunner
Sam Koch – P
Justin Tucker – K

Winner: Sam Koch – P

It is always difficult to pick the best special teams player on the Baltimore Ravens, as the team almost always has one of the best units in the National Football League. The special teams group for the 2019 Baltimore Ravens has been disappointing, but the wolfpack of Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, and Morgan Cox remains the best trio in the league. Sam Koch gets the award this time, only because he is on pace to punt just 40 times this season. His current career low is 60 punts in a season. Perhaps it is more of a testament to the offense than it is to special teams, but Koch’s potential personal best season should be noted.

Most Valuable Player of the Half-Year

Nominees:

Marlon Humphrey – CB
Lamar Jackson – QB
Justin Tucker – K
Marshal Yanda – OG

Winner: Lamar Jackson – QB

Lamar Jackson could have won other awards on this list, such as Most Improved Player of the Half-Year, and Offensive Player of the Half-Year, but rather than letting him dominate all the awards, I felt it best to leave him as just the Most Valuable Player of the Half-Year. Lamar Jackson currently has completed 64.3% of his throws for 1813 yards, and 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He is on pace to throw for 3,626 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just ten interceptions, with the same 64.3% completion rate. Lamar Jackson has also run for 637 yards and five touchdowns so far this season and is on pace for 1,274 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns this season. These numbers are historic, and Lamar Jackson is simply dominant on the football field. He is by far the most important and most valuable player on the Baltimore Ravens roster, and Jackson may be the NFL’s most valuable player when it is all said and done.