It didn’t take long for veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to find a new team after the Tennessee Titans released him. Awuzie quickly signed with the Baltimore Ravens 10 days after he hit the market.
The move comes just in time after cornerback Brandon Stephens signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets. Awuzie will help at corner where Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey are the starters. The veteran can play both outside and in the nickel so his versatility will come in handy.
Awuzie got his start with the Dallas Cowboys when he was their second-round pick in 2017. He started 42 games over four seasons in Dallas and finished with 35 pass breakups, four interceptions and 213 tackles. His physical style of play stood out to the Cincinnati Bengals when he became a free agent.
The Bengals signed Awuzie to a three–year, $21.75 million contract March, 2021. Awuzie started 14 of 17 games that season and intercepted quarterback Matthew Stafford in Cincinnati’s Super Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The following season, Awuzie tore his ACL in Week 8 and was done for the year.
Awuzie worked his way back from the injury and was one of the starting cornerbacks in the Bengals season opener the following year. A herniated disc suffered in Week 5 caused Awuzie to miss a couple of games and limited his contribution to the team.
The Bengals didn’t attempt to re-sign Awuzie after the 2023 season. The Titans signed Awuzie to a three-year, $36 million contract and named him the starter opposite LaJarius Sneed. Awuzie played the first three games of the season before a groin injury landed him on injured reserve. He made his return to the field after 10 weeks and posted his only interception of the season against the Jaguars.
A sparkling rookie debut by fifth-round pick Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and the return of Sneed from a leg injury caused new general manager Mike Borgonzi to release Awuzie. The Titans will still have to pay him $7.5 million this season.
Awuzie’s deal with the Ravens is for the league minimum. The Ravens already have Jalyn Armour-Davis and T.J. Tampa looking to be the No.3 cornerback. The competition for the position got a little steeper with the addition of Awuzie.
Being able to flex Humphrey inside to cover the slot and still have a veteran like Awuzie on the outside should help defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s unit. Awuzie, 29-years old, fits the physical, in-your-face style of play the Ravens want from their secondary.
Awuzie comes to Baltimore after spending last season with Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator. Wilson was the Ravens defensive backs coach in 2023.
Added Wilson last April, “The way Chido plays the game of football, how tough he is, the athleticism, his ability to do multiple things, it allows you as a defense to line up and cover guys.”