Baltimore Ravens safety DeShon Elliott chuckled at the thought. He might not know where Jimmy Smith will line up before a given snap, be it as an outside cornerback or across from a tight end or deep in the secondary in a centerfield-like role. But does he ever feel concerned about how his veteran teammate will handle the task in front of him?
The Jimmy Smith?
“Jimmy, he’s an old-head; he’s the O.G.,” Elliott said. “I know he can do his job. I know he’s going to make plays, so we don’t have to worry about ‘Jimbo.’”
Smith, the longest-tenured defensive player on the Ravens' roster, has earned a reputation among teammates and coaches for his steady play. And this season, he’s filling a multi-faceted role, one that makes this year different from any other since he joined Baltimore as a first-round pick in 2011 — and positions him as a crucial factor for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1).
After Smith spent most of the past decade purely as an outside cornerback, the Ravens (4-1) have leaned on the 32-year-old to play more often at safety this year. He’s also shifted back to corner at times and lined up in a variety of spots around the secondary.
Other Ravens defenders have delivered more highlights during a strong start to the season, but Smith unlocks much of defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s playbook. His ability to bounce from position to position allows Martindale to use other defensive backs as blitzers and to shuffle personnel to generate favorable matchups.
Not everyone could handle such movement, coach John Harbaugh said. Smith’s nine previous seasons playing in Baltimore’s defense allows him to be so flexible in Year 10.
“His experience makes a big difference,” Harbaugh said. “He’s just seen a lot of things. He’s been in a lot of meetings, he’s played in a lot of games. He, basically, fundamentally, knows how all the coverages are built.”
That knowledge has helped the Ravens allow the fewest points in the NFL through five games, while forcing 10 turnovers, tied for the second most in the league.
In the season opener, Smith played mostly at safety, stepping onto the field for passing downs and bumping Chuck Clark closer to the line of scrimmage into a dime linebacker role. That afforded the Ravens the chance to put extra defensive backs onto the field.
After cornerback Tavon Young suffered a knee injury in Week 2, Smith played more of his old spot at cornerback. But he moves around based on an opponent’s personnel. The Ravens used him to cover Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce at times in Week 3. During Sunday’s win over the Bengals, Smith played almost exclusively outside corner, because his physical style gave Baltimore its best matchup against Cincinnati’s big and tall wide receivers.
“It’s been fun,” Smith said. “I get to do different things. I play tight ends, I drop down in coverage from safety, I play some corner, which is something I’m used to.”
The Ravens could rely on Smith’s versatility and knowledge even more than usual Sunday in Philadelphia. Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, despite experiencing a dip in production in recent weeks, remains one of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s favorite targets.
Wentz has thrown at least five passes to Ertz in every game this season.
As Baltimore waits to see whether Philadelphia receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery return from injury to play Sunday, Martindale knows his defense will need to contend with Ertz. Smith, a 6-foot-2 and 210-pound defensive back with experience covering a wide array of pass-catchers, is better suited to defend Ertz than any other Raven.
“Ertz has been doing it for a little while now, so we know what he’s like,” Smith said. “He’s really savvy with his routes. He has great hands, he has good speed. So he’s going to be a factor this week we have to take care of.”
The Ravens brought Smith back onto the roster this year to help with that type of challenge.
This offseason, Smith entered free agency and conceded that he didn’t find the buzzing market he expected. He said he always wanted to return to Baltimore, though, and he did so on a one-year contract worth $3.5 million.
Harbaugh welcomed him with open arms. The Ravens envisioned Smith following a path Rod Woodson carved in the early 2000s and Brandon Carr followed last year as cornerbacks who evolved into versatile chess pieces later in their careers.
“I don’t think it’s really that normal for guys to make that kind of — I don’t want to say a move or a switch, because he’s still playing corner — but to expand like that,” Harbaugh said of Smith’s new role. “I’m really proud of him.”
Coaches are confident Smith can hold his own against a star tight end like Ertz. If the Ravens want Smith on the outside to defend Jeffrey on Sunday or if they decide to play him as a roaming safety, they won’t hesitate to move him around. And young players like Elliott won’t fret about Smith no matter where he winds up.
“He knows a lot about football; he knows the schemes, he knows the playbook, obviously,” Elliott said. “I can depend on Jimmy.”
Aaron Kasinitz covers the Baltimore Ravens for PennLive and can be reached at akasinitz@pennlive.com or on Twitter @AaronKazreports. Follow PennLive’s Ravens coverage on Facebook and Youtube.