Cary Williams

Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb was back in Baltimore on Friday to take a physical and officially sign his new five-year, $50 million extension. Webb, who was a restricted free agent, is now under contract through the 2017 season. The Ravens gave him a lucrative contract because they feel he can become one of the NFL's top cornerbacks. But according to stats from Pro Football Focus, Webb might already be there. As my colleague Jeff Zrebiec mentioned last week when he broke the news of Webb's extension , Webb did not allow a touchdown pass all season and quarterbacks had a rating of just 55.6 when throwing in Webb's direction, according to Pro Football Focus, an NFL statistics and analysis website.

POSITION: Cornerback. The Ravens have rotated starters throughout the preseason, but Cary Williams and rookie first-round pick Jimmy Smith have been the most impressive. Domonique Foxworth has struggled since coming back from major knee surgery, and Chris Carr has been limited in training camp with a hamstring injury. VETERAN: Tight end Kris Wilson. The eight-year journeyman has become the favorite to be the top backup behind Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta. He is tied for the Ravens lead with seven catches, and his 83 yards receiving tops all of the team's tight ends.

The latest injury report for Sunday's regular-season finale between the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals is out, and the Ravens confirmed that strong safety Bernard Pollared joined right guard Marshal Yanda and inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe as not practicing Thursday. Pollard is described as dealing with an illness, Yanda has been slowed by a bruised rib and thigh, and Ellerbe is trying to overcome post-concussion symptoms. Defensive tackle Arthur Jones, who did not practice Wednesday because of an illness, fully participated in Thursday's session.

The Ravens got some good news Friday as right guard Marshal Yanda and strong safety Bernard Pollard returned to practice Friday. Yanda had missed the previous two days of practice after suffering bruised ribs and a bruised thigh in Saturday's 20-14 win against the Cleveland Browns. Yanda will likely be limited, but it's unclear if he will have demonstrated enough to start against the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season finale for both teams. Pollard did not practice Thursday because of an illness.

The Ravens are a veteran group led by some of the NFL's more experienced players and coaches. But the team has been bolstered by the play of its rookie class. Wide receiver Torrey Smith, a second-round pick, leads the offense in receiving touchdowns with five and ranks second in receiving yards with 645. Defensive end Pernell McPhee, a fifth-round choice, ranks second on the defense in sacks with six. And cornerback Jimmy Smith, a first-round selection, has caught two interceptions in his last three contests.

I don't know what the Ravens immediate plans are for rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, but it might be time to get him back on the field. Smith hasn't played much since he injured his ankle on the opening kickoff of the season opener against Pittsburgh.  In the last couple of weeks, the Ravens have used him on special teams and in some nickel and dime packages, but he might serve them better as the starting nickel over Chris Carr. Carr certainly has more experience, and that's what you want from the inside guy. But Smith is a great talent, a player with game-changing ability.

There was a much lighter turnout at today's Ravens voluntary OTA (organized team activity) than a week ago. By my count, 19 of 90 players on the roster are absent today. Missing from today's workout: Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ray Rice, Bernard Pollard, Haloti Ngata, Anquan Boldin, Marshal Yanda, Bryant McKinnie, Jah Reid, Jimmy Smith, Cody Glenn, Rodney Bradley, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Asa Jackson, Pernell McPhee, Bryan Hall, David Reed and Vonta Leach. David Reed could be here somewhere.

The first full day of training camp is tomorrow and the two top battles are at defensive end and cornerback. At the end, it will be third-year player Arthur Jones against second-year player Pernell McPhee. Jones is a bigger body and better at stopping the run, but McPhee is a better pass rusher registering six sacks as a rookie last season. McPhee, though, will be slowed by the knee injury and Jones had a strong offseason. He has improved his physical conditioning and appears to have the lead over McPhee as far as replacing former starter Cory Redding, now with the Indianapolis Colts.

With cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Chris Carr both out for tomorrow's game against the Tennessee Titans, the Ravens today made a move to address their secondary depth, waiving linebacker Jason Phillips and signing cornerback Danny Gorrer from their practice squad to the 53-man roster. Gorrer, who signed with the Ravens as a free agent in 2010, spent the majority of last season on the practice squad. Gorrer, a second-year player who played at Texas A&M, has seen action in three NFL games, all with the St. Louis Rams.

With 11 days between now and their first playoff game Jan. 15 at M&T Bank Stadium, five Ravens sat out Wednesday's practice, which had a training camp-like atmosphere in the portion of practice open to media. After the team opened with special teams drills, players did individual drills with their position groups. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the team would use Wednesday and Thursday to “develop our guys.” Inside linebackers Ray Lewis (toe) and Jameel McClain (knee)