Nine seasons, five stints on injured reserve, two anterior cruciate ligament tears, a dislocated ankle and probably more soft tissue lesions than he would like to recount later, Ronald Darby remains confident in his ability to lock down an opposing wide receiver.
“I’ve always been able to play,” Darby told Jaguars Wire. “My biggest thing was, you know, getting hurt.”
The Jaguars, who signed Darby in March, are his fifth team in the NFL and fourth since 2020, when he last played a full season.
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But no matter the injury, the competition he faced or the scheme he had to learn — “I done played in almost all of them,” he said, “from the zone ones to the man ones to the Cover-0 ones” — Darby typically found a way to establish himself as one of the league’s better cover corners.
“As long as I’m able to run, move — you know, each year I learn and I just get better,” Darby expressed. “It’s like, I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
He has, and he’s right.
Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Ronald Darby (28) upends Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the second half in the AFC Championship football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Per Pro Football Reference, Darby’s 44.2% coverage completion rate with Baltimore in 2023 was not only his career-best in seasons he played 10 or more games, it led all qualifying NFL coverage defenders.
Darby’s 2022 performance with Denver was even more dominant, albeit finite.
Over four-and-a-half games before tearing his ACL, Darby allowed just seven receptions over 18 targets (38.9%), per PFR. He gave up no more than 20 receiving yards in a single game.
Working back from a ruptured knee ligament proved easier the second time for Darby than the first.
Darby was a starter under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia in 2017, but a dislocated ankle in Week 1 cost him eight games. He returned and played very well during the Eagles’ stretch run to Super Bowl LII. In 2018, he didn’t appear in a game after Week 10 after suffering his first torn ACL. He played in Week 1 the next season, but strained his hamstring in Week 4 and his hip in Week 16.
He went unsigned in free agency until 10 months after his second ACL tear, when Baltimore coveted an experienced player after starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey endured a foot injury last August.
“To be honest, it wasn’t [a…
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