Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey breaks franchise single season forced fumble record

It is extremely rare for a defensive back to lead the NFL in statistical categories that are usually dominated by Pro Bowl pass rushers such as sacks and forced fumbles.

While Baltimore Ravens First-Team All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey isn’t exactly a sack master with just 2.5 on the season, he does lead the league in forced fumbles by a healthy margin.

He entered the team’s primetime AFC North matchup on Monday night with the Cleveland Browns with league-leading six but after adding two more to his career-high total, he not only extended his lead, but he set a new single-season franchise record.

The previous record-holder was franchise all-time sack leader Terrell Suggs. The future first-ballot Hall of Fame outside linebacker recorded seven forced fumbles in 2011 and won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Humphrey broke out in 2019 and is in the conversation for that honor this season. He has been building a strong case for himself all year thanks in large part to fumbles he has forced with his signature “Fruit Punch” but he has also recorded 68 total tackles, four quarterback hits, an interception, and a safety.

“That’s a big accomplishment for me,” Humphrey said. “When I was a rookie before I had even played a game, ‘Sizz’ had told me I was the future of this franchise. So, from pretty early on and to him really not being able to see me get to play in a game, it seemed like he had some respect for me. So, to be mentioned in his name with anything is definitely an honor.”

His eight forced fumbles also tie former NFL standouts Charles Tillman (2012) and Osi Umenyiora (2010) for the most through a player’s first 12 games of a season.

Humphrey recorded both of his forced fumbles in the first half where he punched the ball out of the grasps of Browns’ wide receivers Rishard Higgins and Jarvis Landry on back to back drives but fortunately for Cleveland, the ball bounced back into them on both occasions.

The Ravens signed the 2017 first-round pick to a five-year extension worth $98.75 million on Oct.1 and he has proven to be worth every penny by forcing seven of his league-leading eight forced fumbles and two full sacks since signing on the dotted line.

He’s not only the most complete player at his position in the NFL but he’s arguably the most complete and well-rounded defender in the league period with the elite level that he has been playing at this year.