Instant reactions: Ravens and Tavon Young agree to a 3-year extension

After the news of Tavon Young signing his three-year extension came to light on Twitter, Baltimore Beatdown sat down and gave their opinions on the move.

Kyle P Barber

I’m a huge fan of the signing. Young is the best in the business when it comes to slot coverage. He’s also capable of making splash plays and he did so in 2018 with two sacks, an interception, three fumble recoveries and two touchdowns. More importantly, I’m thrilled to see Eric DeCosta extend a player early; rather than waiting until Young was in his contract year, DeCosta locked up the 25-year old cornerback now. Far too often we witness these players hit their stride in their contract year and outperform the Ravens’ cap space. It’s good to see Young extended for another three seasons after 2019.

Vasilis Lericos

Smart decision to lock up an ascending talent at a premium position before he reached unrestricted free agency. Hopefully this practice becomes more regular now that the Ravens long-term salary cap situation has dramatically improved.

Frank J. Platko

It was a bit surprising when news broke that the Ravens agreed to an extension with Tavon Young, but the surprise was a pleasant one. Young has been one of my favorite players on the defensive side of the ball since he was drafted three years ago. He possesses all the ideal traits you want in a nickel corner: speed, ball skills, and pursuit. With more and more teams deploying three and four receiver sets, the slot corner position has never been more important. Young is already an impact defender and his upside is high. Had he not missed the entirety of his sophomore campaign, it’s fair to say Young would be even further along in his development. I believe this will be the first of many contract extensions Baltimore gives to players entering the final years of their deals, such as Matt Judon and Ronnie Stanley. In the past, the Ravens saw many impact players play their way out of Baltimore’s price range in contract seasons. Eric DeCosta didn’t want to see this happen with Young.

Dustin Cox

With free agency nearing and no deal yet in place to keep linebacker C.J. Mosley or Terrell Suggs in Baltimore, a contract extension for Young was the last thing I expected, albeit a pleasant surprise. In his two seasons of playing time, Young has already established himself as one of the league’s top nickel corners. At 5’10”, Young plays well above his size with his physical play style in both coverage and run support. Young’s run defense allows the Ravens to deploy more nickel packages, which is a huge plus in the pass-happy NFL of today. Locking up a young and ascending player is a good move for first-year general manager Eric DeCosta. Hopefully DeCosta will continue to extend deserving players before the end of their contract, as many talented players have been lost to the market before.

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