Ravens waive seventh round rookie safety Geno Stone
The Baltimore Ravens have released rookie safety Geno four games into the regular season. He was selected in the seventh round back in April out of Iowa. Despite the team being banged up and shorthanded in the secondary in recent weeks, he was not active for any of the first four games.
Stone was General Manager Eric DeCosta’s last pick in the 2020 draft. He was lauded as one of the biggest steals in the entire draft weekend by analysts and pundits. Coming out of college he was praised for his instincts, intelligence, and playmaking ability as both a ball hawk and magnet. Pro Football Focus had him as their 53rd hight graded overall prospect.
He made the final 53-man roster following a lackluster training camp where some reporters believed he was on the roster bubble near the final cut deadline, Stone wasn’t able to carve out a role on defense or even prove himself enough to be active on gameday as a special teamer.
Stone becomes the first player from their 2020 draft class to be waived and his release creates a vacancy on the 53-man roster. The Ravens will likely want to fill it with a defensive back, preferably another safety, that can succeed where he failed and contribute on both defense and special teams.
Baltimore could promote undrafted rookie safety Nigel Warrior or 10-year veteran Marcus Gilchrist from the practice squad. Warrior had a much stronger camp than Stone and Gilchrist has experience playing both safety and corner and has started 98 games in his career.
A reunion with either veteran safety Brandon Carr or Tony Jefferson could also be another avenue they could explore. Carr was released by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week and played well in a hybrid role for the Ravens last season. Jefferson has been sitting on the open market since the Ravens released him in the offseason, but he is reportedly recovered from the torn ACL that he suffered early last season and is ready to play.
A third route they might consider taking would be via trade with the October 29th midseason deadline quickly approaching. Last season, no one expected that ball-hawking cornerback Marcus Peters would be available but DeCosta was able to acquire the First-Team All-Pro for a mere fifth-round pick.
Some reporters close to the team are speculating that he might be aggressive near the deadline for a second straight season. If he does decide to make a move, it could be to add some much-needed depth to the safety position with a player that can make plays on defense as well as contribute on special teams.
If Stone clears waivers, he could be a candidate to get brought back on the practice squad where he could still develop without taking up a coveted roster spot.
