Long before he would become his teammate, Tony Jefferson studied Eric Weddle.
The 25-year-old Jefferson was a teenager in the San Diego area when Weddle began playing in the NFL for the Chargers, so he learned Weddle’s habits at a young age.
That could be why the safeties have worked so well together since the Ravens signed Jefferson as a free agent.
“No disrespect to any of the guys I’ve played with, but it’s nice not to have to explain why I do certain things or why I’m doing this in this coverage,” Weddle told The Baltimore Sun. “From day one, he already had a feel for how I play and how to work off me. … It frees me up a lot more mentally. I don’t have to tell him after each play why I did this or, before the snap, let’s do this. He already knows. That is just light years ahead of most guys I’ve played with. I’ve loved every guy I’ve played with, but he’s just on another level.”
In his first season as a starter for the Cardinals last year, Jefferson broke up five passes, forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and had two sacks. He joins a Ravens defense that ranked ninth in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed.
The Ravens finished 8-8 last season and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, but they were one Antonio Brown arm extension away from making the playoffs.
With Jefferson on board, the chemistry of the Ravens’ safety tandem could be toxic for the rest of the AFC North.
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