Tony Jefferson returned to the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 after he accepted the team's one-year tender offer last spring, but his time in the desert is reportedly over now that he's expected to agree to terms with the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini.
Financial terms have yet to be disclosed.
An undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma who broke in with the Cardinals during the 2013 season, Jefferson made modest statistical gains over the course of 16 appearances and two starts before climbing the depth chart in impressive fashion.
The true breakout came in 2015, when Jefferson asserted himself in a defensive backfield featuring the likes of Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Not only did he force a career-high three fumbles and score the first defensive touchdown of his career, but he recorded a personal-best five pass breakups.
"He's a very instinctual player," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said, per Kyle Odegard of the team's official website. "He made up for the speed with his instincts, and once we put the pads on, he was a football player, a good tackler."
This past season, Jefferson's ascent continued. Over the course of 15 appearances, including 14 starts, Jefferson logged a career-high 92 tackles to go with two sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Not only that, but Jefferson recorded the top overall grade (88.6) among all players in Arizona's secondary, according to Pro Football Focus' Matt Claassen. Plus, Jefferson logged an astounding run defense grade of 98.0 that ranked No. 2 among all safeties.
As Claassen noted, "Jefferson was one of the best run-defending safeties in the league, and led the position with a 7.8 run-stop percentage."
For the Ravens, adding Jefferson when he was also reportedly drawing serious interest from the Cleveland Browns—who have exponentially more cap space—per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, is a major boon.
Baltimore already wielded one of the NFL's most aggressive and physically imposing defenses, and Jefferson can bolster its offerings with disciplined coverage skills on the back end and a fierce mentality at the point of attack around the line of scrimmage.
Also consider that Jefferson will be working in tandem with Eric Weddle, and the Ravens should instantly wield one of the most talented safety duos around.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
Read more Baltimore Ravens news on BleacherReport.com
from Bleacher Report - Baltimore Ravens http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2621422-tony-jefferson-reportedly-expected-to-sign-contract-with-baltimore-ravens
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