If Trenton Simpson goes on to become the player the Baltimore Ravens thought he’d be, he’ll have one heck of a story to tell his children and grandchildren. The lessons he has learned involve patience and perseverance. Once a prep star who made everything look easy, he has evolved into a workaholic who has had to prove he was good enough on more than one occasion.

As an attendee of Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, he played both running back and linebacker. That prompted an opportunity to play in the 2020 Under Armour All-America game. He initially committed to play for the Auburn Tigers, but he changed his mind and landed with the Clemson Tigers.

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Simpson would eventually earn a Third-Team All-ACC nod in 2022 before being drafted 86th overall, during Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. For the first time in his life, he found turbulence playing the game he loved.

As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games, playing primarily on special teams. In year two, he was named a starter but was benched after the 13th game of the season. This is year three. He was again named a starter but was given a shorter leash. A slow start resulted in another trip to the pine, this time after splitting reps with rookie Teddye Buchanan.

Simpson didn’t play any snaps in Week 3, but after Roquan Smith’s injury, he was back in the spotlight. He has answered the call, and he has played well. That earned some elite praise from Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr.

We’ve seen underwhelming performances from Trenton Simpson at times. We’ve seen stellar work on other occasions. This recent two-game stretch falls under the umbrella of the latter.

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He has exceeded 93% of the snaps during each of Baltimore’s two most recent contests. The numbers are eye-popping: 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two additional hits on the quarterback, and a pass breakup.

This is exactly what the Ravens need. When things aren’t going well, guys on the back-half of the depth chart must step up. Well done here by Trenton Simpson. Now, he’ll need to build upon what we’ve seen.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Trenton Simpson earns standout praise from Ravens’ DC Zach Orr