The quest for a Lombardi Trophy often feels like assembling an intricate, high-stakes puzzle. You find the perfect corner piece, snap it triumphantly into place – only to realize the center still feels incomplete, vulnerable. That’s the subtle tension humming through Owings Mills right now. The Ravens made a splash, grabbing Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander on a savvy, incentive-laden one-year deal ($4 M base, $2 M incentives).

His résumé sings: 2 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro nods (2nd team), 12 career INTs, including a league-high five in 2022, and that legendary 2020 PFF-leading 90.5 grade. Remember him absolutely erasing Justin Jefferson in 2022 (one catch allowed, followed by a savage Griddy taunt)? Or snatching two picks off Tom Brady in the NFC Championship? That’s the pedigree walking in.

Marlon Humphrey nailed the vibe: “Then we add Jaire… the options are endless.” Suddenly, the Ravens boast arguably the league’s most versatile secondary. Nate Wiggins brings youthful speed. It’s a coverage symphony Zach Orr can conduct with glee. Pass rusher Odafe Oweh sees the domino effect: “If they get interceptions, we get sacks… we’ll be the best defense.” Kyle Hamilton called Alexander super valuable, praising him as “one of the best in this league since he got in it.” ESPN’s Field Yates dubbed him Baltimore’s ‘final ingredient.’

Not so fast. The ink was barely dry on Alexander’s deal when a compelling counter-narrative emerged on Baltimore’s airwaves. Ravens analyst Samuel Njoku sparked the debate, homing in on a certain decorated safety still floating in free agency: “We’re going to talk about Justin Simmons because Justin Simmons has gone on record of saying that he’s going to be a little more picky… he believes that he has only a few more opportunities to win that championship, but he wants to make sure he’s on the squad to compete.” Njoku then turned to Kevin Oestreicher, probing if Simmons could be the true final piece.

Why Simmons makes Baltimore’s defense truly scary post-Alexander

Oestreicher’s response was emphatic, weaving in a gem for good measure: “Yes, it would. It 100% would… I think that that’s like, you know, we talked about Jaire as like the final infinity stone… But I truly do think depthwise… someone to just a veteran option there in that safety room.” He acknowledged the potential of young safeties Beau Brade and Sanoussi Kane, and the flexibility of corners like Wiggins or TJ Tampa, but the specter of 2023 loomed large:

“I just look back to last year and how many options they went through… Marcus Williams is supposed to have this great year… Eddie Jackson was supposed to be this veteran stabilizer… Brandon Stephens was a lot worse… I don’t want them back in the same situation.” His mantra?

“All depth is good depth… you can never have enough of anything.” While Simmons is the best option, Oestreicher stressed any veteran safety (like Julian Blackmon) would shore up a critical spot.

Oestreicher’s case isn’t just depth paranoia; it’s strategic foresight. Simmons isn’t just another safety; he’s a 2-time Pro Bowler, 4-time All-Pro (2nd team), boasting 32 career INTs (leading the league with six in 2022). Remember that 2019 season where he was PFF’s highest-graded safety (90.7)? He’s the epitome of a ball-hawking, scheme-versatile playmaker – exactly what Baltimore craves after generating only 12 INTs last year.

Imagine him as the roaming third safety alongside Hamilton and Williams, allowing Hamilton more freedom to be a destructive joker near the line. Simmons’ range, instincts, and proven turnover production (at least one INT ‘every season’ since 2016) fill a specific, lingering need that Alexander’s arrival, as stellar as it is for the corners, doesn’t directly address. Financially? It’s feasible. With roughly $15–$18.5 M in current cap space, Simmons’ projected $6–$7 M price tag fits comfortably, leaving room for other moves. He’s chasing a ring, and Baltimore offers a prime runway.

Alexander is the flashy, lockdown cornerpiece the Ravens needed – the ‘Ja-Money’ swagger returning picks for touchdowns (like his first regular-season pick-six against the Titans in ’24) and bringing zen-like focus (pre-game meditations at the goalposts) to the boundary.

But championships are often won in the hidden layers, the reliable depth that steps up when the inevitable attrition hits. Simmons represents that crucial, experienced underlayer for the safety group – the potential final, grounding piece to complete the Ravens’ defensive masterpiece. As Oestreicher wisely channeled, echoing Thanos’ quest: perhaps Alexander was ‘an’ Infinity Stone, but Simmons could be the one that truly makes the secondary gauntlet complete.

The puzzle looks great, but is there space for one more vital piece? Baltimore’s front office might just be pondering that very question.