Tavon Young
Number36, 25
PositionCornerback
Birth dateMarch 14, 1994 (age 32)
Birth placeOxon Hill, Maryland, U.S.
Height5 ft
Height in9
Weight lbs185
High schoolPotomac (Oxon Hill)
CollegeTemple
Draftyear2016
Draftround4
Draftpick104
Pastteams
Statlabel 1Total tackles
Statvalue 1127
Statlabel 2Sacks
Statvalue 24.0
Statlabel 3Fumble recoveries
Statvalue 33
Statlabel 4Interceptions
Statvalue 44
Statlabel 5Defensive touchdowns
Statvalue 52
PfrYounTa01

Tavon Antonio Young (born March 14, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Temple Owls. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.

Early life

Young attended Frederick Douglass High School from 2008 to 2011 and Potomac High School from 2011 to 2012 in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where he was teammates with cornerback Ronald Darby.

Professional career

Pre-draft

On November 17, 2015, it was announced that Young accepted his invitation to play in the 2016 Senior Bowl.[1]

Baltimore Ravens

2016 season

His home state Baltimore Ravens selected Young in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.[2] Young was the 16th cornerback drafted in 2016.[3]

On May 9, 2016, the Ravens signed Young to a four-year, $2.94 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $605,130.[4]

Young recorded his first career interception in Week 3 of the 2016 season in a 19–17 win vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. He made his first NFL start in Week 6 against the New York Giants, recording three tackles and snagging his second interception of the season, picking off Eli Manning.[5][6] He became the Ravens' No. 2 cornerback behind Jimmy Smith,[7] playing in 16 games with 11 starts recording 53 tackles, eight passes defensed and two interceptions.

2017 season

On June 1, 2017, Young suffered a torn ACL during organized team activities, and missed the entire 2017 season.[8][9] He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2017.[10]

2018 season

Young entered the 2018 season as the Ravens No. 3 cornerback behind Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey. Young recorded his first two sacks of his career in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, becoming the first Ravens defensive back to do so since Bennie Thompson in 1996.[11] He recorded his third-career interception in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.[12] In Week 13, Young recovered a fumble forced by Patrick Onwuasor and returned it 12 yards for the touchdown in a 26–16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.[13] In Week 16, Young recovered another fumble forced by Onwuasor and returned it 62 yards for the touchdown in a 22–10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.[14] He played in 15 games with six starts, recording 37 combined tackles, five pass deflections, an interception, three fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.

2019 season

On February 21, 2019, Young signed a three-year, $25.8 million contract extension with the Ravens, making him the highest-paid nickel cornerback in the NFL.[15] On August 15, 2019, head coach John Harbaugh announced that Young was expected to miss the entire 2019 NFL season due to a neck injury he suffered in practice.[16] He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 31, 2019.[17]

2020 season

Young appeared in the Ravens' season opener against the Cleveland Browns, recording two solo tackles.[18] During the first quarter of the Ravens' Week 2 matchup on September 20, 2020, against the Houston Texans, Young forced an incomplete pass, but suffered a torn ACL on the play and the team placed him on injured reserve following the game on September 28.[19][20] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Ravens on November 28, 2020,[21] and moved back to injured reserve three days later.[22]

2021 season

Young would see slightly more playing time in 2021 due in part to a season-ending ACL injury to fellow corner Marcus Peters. In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had a crucial interception off Patrick Mahomes in the 3rd quarter to help spark a rally as the Ravens won 36–35. He also broke up a pass during the game.[23]

Young was released on March 9, 2022, after six seasons.[24]

Chicago Bears

On April 11, 2022, the Chicago Bears signed Young to a one-year contract.[25] He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2022.[26] He was released on September 17.

References

  1. ^ Mears, Justin (December 10, 2015). "Reese's Senior Bowl Invites Coming in for the Underdogs". underdogdynasty.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  2. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Downing, Garrett (April 30, 2016). "Round 4: Ravens Draft CB Tavon Young At No. 104". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived November 8, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Spotrac.com: Tavon Young contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants - October 16th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Beckham breaks out as Giants edge Ravens". Reuters. October 16, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Downing, Garrett (November 9, 2016). "Rookie Tavon Young Solidifying No. 2 Cornerback Spot". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived November 8, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Mink, Ryan (June 1, 2017). "Tavon Young Tears ACL In Organized Team Activities". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived October 16, 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (June 1, 2017). "Ravens cornerback Tavon Young suffers torn ACL". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Mink, Ryan (September 1, 2017). "Ravens Announce 24 Roster Moves, Have 13 More To Make". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Lee, Edward (September 9, 2018). "Ravens notebook: Cornerback Tavon Young getting in on the sacks". Baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  12. ^ Mills, Chuck (October 7, 2018). "Watch: Tavon Young's diving interception of Baker Mayfield". Ravens Wire. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  13. ^ Walker, Childs & Lee, Edward (December 6, 2018). "Ravens notebook: Tavon Young expects to build on first NFL touchdown". Baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Highlight: Peanut, Tavon Young Make Play of the Game". www.baltimoreravens.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Hensley, Jamison (February 21, 2019). "Ravens, CB Tavon Young agree to 3-year extension". ESPN.com
  16. ^ Hensley, Jamison (August 16, 2019). "Ravens DB Young (neck) likely out for season". ESPN.com
  17. ^ Stevens, Matthew (August 31, 2019). "Ravens place 5 players on IR, including CB Tavon Young". Msn.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  18. ^ "Tavon Young Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Stevens, Matthew (September 20, 2020). "John Harbaugh: CB Tavon Young's knee injury believed to be season-ending". USA Today
  20. ^ "Ravens' Tavon Young: Moves to injured reserve". CBSSports.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Brown, Clifton (November 28, 2020). "Six Ravens Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Mink, Ryan (December 1, 2020). "Ravens Add No New Players to COVID-19 List, Activate More Off It". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  23. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens - September 19th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  24. ^ Mink, Ryan (March 9, 2022). "Ravens Release Respected Veteran Cornerback Tavon Young". baltimoreravens.com
  25. ^ "Roster Move: Bears sign CB Tavon Young". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  26. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 30, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears reach NFL's 53-man roster limit". ChicagoBears.com