The Baltimore Ravens trusted safety DeShon Elliott in a big role during the 2020 season due to the abrupt departure of Earl Thomas III. Since Thomas was released so close to the start of the year, Baltimore didn’t have many options to replace him. They turned to Elliott, who didn’t disappoint in his first full season as a starter, accumulating 80 total tackles and two forced fumbles.
Head coach John Harbaugh was asked about how Elliott has progressed from Year One to Year Two as a starter, and went into detail about how the fourth-year safety has shown great improvement in understanding the Ravens’ defense.
“He always wanted to play fast. He always wants to just cut it loose and go, which you want that. Now, I think he knows where he is going better. He really understands the defense. He understands how we organize the coverages. He understands what responsibilities he has, or what opportunities he has, to make certain calls to put us in the best situation. He’s doing a great job of that. He was good last year, and he got better as the year went on. But this year, he’s taken it to another level that way.”
Along with his solid play last season, something that Elliott was able to provide was availability. He missed his entire rookie year in 2018 with an arm injury, and the next season only played in six games before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. However, Elliott was able to play in a full slate of games in 2020, never missing a start for Baltimore.
Moving over to free safety in his first year as an NFL starter was no easy task, but Elliott proved that he was up to the challenge and performed admirably in the role. He’ll look to build on his 2020 season with an impressive 2021, and with a full offseason with his teammates and coaches, he has the potential to truly take the league by storm this year.
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