Tavon Antonio Young (born March 14, 1994) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He played college football at

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

. He was selected by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in the fourth round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

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.

Baltimore Ravens

2016 season

His home state

selected Young in the fourth round (104th overall) of the

. Young was the 16th cornerback drafted in 2016. On May 9, 2016, the Ravens signed Young to a four-year, $2.94 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $605,130. Young recorded his first career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

in Week 3 of the 2016 season in a 19–17 win vs. the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He made his first NFL start in Week 6 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, recording three

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and snagging his second interception of the season, picking off

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

. He became the Ravens' No. 2 cornerback behind Jimmy Smith, 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. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on September 1, 2017.

2018 season

Young entered the 2018 season as the Ravens No. 3 cornerback behind Brandon Carr and

Marlon Humphrey Marlon N. Humphrey (born July 8, 1996) is an American professional American football, football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He attended Hoover High School (Alabama), Hoover High School, where he was ...

. Young recorded his first two sacks of his career in the season opener against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, becoming the first Ravens defensive back to do so since

Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician and educator serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson served as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security fro ...

in 1996. He recorded his third-career interception in Week 5 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. In Week 13, Young returned a fumble forced by Patrick Onwuasor and returned it 12 yards for the touchdown in a 26–16 win over the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 16, Young returned another fumble forced by Onwuasor and returned it 62 yards for the touchdown in a 22–10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. 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. On August 15, 2019, head coach John Harbaugh announced that Young was expected to miss the entire

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears. T ...

due to a neck injury he suffered in practice. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 31, 2019.

2020 season

Young appeared in the Ravens' season opener against the

, recording two solo tackles. During the first quarter of the Ravens' Week 2 matchup on September 20, 2020, against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

, Young forced an incomplete pass, but suffered a torn ACL on the play and the team placed him on

following the game on September 28. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the Ravens on November 28, 2020, and moved back to injured reserve three days later.

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 Marcus Peters (born January 9, 1993) is an American professional football cornerback. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft and has also been a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and ...

. In Week 2 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

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

Chicago Bears

On April 11, 2022, the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

signed Young to a one-year contract. He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2022. He was released on September 17.

References

External links

Temple Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Tavon 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Baltimore Ravens players Chicago Bears players People from Oxon Hill, Maryland Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland Temple Owls football players