If the Ravens are going to have the kind of secondary people keep projecting, Nate Wiggins has to be part of the reason why. Not just a steady corner.
A difference-maker. A guy who turns coverage into turnovers.
That’s the bet here, even after a 2025 season that went sideways for the first-round pick and, really, for the defense as a whole. Wiggins, 22, faded in the second half and became a target.
Maybe that had more to do with the injury he was playing through than anyone was letting on. He had an undisclosed procedure this offseason to fix something that had bothered him, to some degree, since his teenage years.
Maybe the issue was the absence of a real pass rush. Maybe it was Marlon Humphrey having one of the worst seasons of any NFL corner last year. Whatever the mix, Wiggins is central to whether this back end can become what many think it can be.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver made that plain after Friday’s training camp practice.
"I see a guy that is laser focused - just laser focused on his craft,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said of Wiggins after Friday’s training camp practice. “Nate, from an ability standpoint, intellect, traits - has it all to be a great one.
“So, when you combine that with just where his mentality is right now and, obviously, his health - the sky is the limit, man. Really happy about Nate and his trajectory and where he is going.
“There are a bunch of guys, man - I think that back end, they are playing their butts off right now and they care. They are communicating with one another. We are doing everything we can right now - from early in camp and the offseason, we are trying to get confident; we are trying to learn it all.
“Now, we are trying to build confidence where hopefully we can flip that into a flow state at one point where all 11 of us are moving as one, and we all know where everybody is going to be. We can just attack."
There’s a real path for that to happen. Rookie head coach Jesse Minter, who is also calling the defense, is expected to lean on quarters coverage and plenty of zone looks, giving defenders chances to break on the ball.
The pass rush, too, almost has to be better. If second-year safety Malaki Starks becomes the ball-hawking centerfielder plenty of people expect, quarterbacks may not be able to attack the middle of the field the way they have the last two seasons.
A bounce-back year from middle linebacker Roquan Smith would help there as well.
That would push more opportunities to the outside, where Wiggins should be able to make plays on the boundary.
He already has the traits for it. He’s agile, he’s sticky in coverage, and he has four career interceptions.
The question is whether this is the year it all starts to show up in a bigger way. The answer feels like yes, especially as he continues to add strength to a slight frame and handle the grind of the NFL game better.
The numbers back up the need for change. Over the last two seasons, the Ravens ranked 20th in the NFL in interceptions per passing attempt at 1.8%, and that came despite putting more resources into the secondary than anywhere else on the roster outside of Lamar Jackson. The team kept trying to load up on former first-round corners, too.
Minter’s Chargers, by contrast, ranked third in that same span at 3.2% despite leaning on mid-round corners and value additions. During his two years there, the Chargers led the NFL in INT/TD rate, while the Ravens were 17th.
So there’s reason to think a new staff can change the feel of this group, even if Minter and Weaver both bring past Ravens ties with them. There will be competition for jobs, and the depth chart is not settled. Humphrey’s $19.25M salary, which was not restructured this week, raises its own question about how fixed his role really is.
But if Wiggins becomes a true No. 1 corner, it gives Minter more freedom to get creative with this secondary. And because Wiggins matters so much to what comes next, the Ravens probably won’t get their clearest read on him until the regular season, especially after surgery.
This franchise has a history of playmakers at corner. Wiggins is supposed to be the next one.
In Other News...
Tyler Loop Is Giving Ravens Fans A Reason For Cautious Hope
Tyler Loop has given the Ravens at least a small but meaningful reason to feel better about the kicking situation as offseason work turned into early training camp. The rookie showed improvement in the spring and into camp, including a clean 3-for-3 showing on live field goals in one session, while special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. pointed to a more professional, better-prepared approach than the one Loop brought as a first-year player.
For Baltimore, the encouraging part is not just the made kicks, but the trend line. Loops rookie season was solid overall, but long-distance accuracy and kickoffs remained areas that needed work, and those are the kinds of details that can decide field position and close games in the AFC North. The Ravens are not declaring the issue solved, but if Loop keeps building on this early momentum, they may have a steadier answer than they did a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Make One Camp Change Players Should Feel Right Away
The Ravens are already making one noticeable adjustment under new coach Jesse Minter, and players should feel it fast. Training camp practices are now set to begin before noon, a shift designed to beat the worst of the heat and cut down on fatigue as the team works through a new coaching staff and playbook.
It is a camp-only change, with the regular season expected to return to the usual practice rhythm, but the timing says plenty about how Baltimore wants to manage this transition. Early in camp, when installation matters and bodies can wear down quickly, the Ravens are betting that a cooler start can help keep players sharper and healthier while they absorb everything that comes with a new system. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Face A New Problem Protecting Lamar Jackson
The Ravens had been counting on Hakeem Adeniji to be part of the offensive line mix, but his departure changes the shape of that room just as Baltimore continues sorting out protection for Lamar Jackson. Adeniji arrived with a veteran resume that included 58 NFL games with the Bengals, Vikings and Cowboys, giving the Ravens a player who at least brought experience to a position group that always draws close scrutiny in Baltimore.
Now the roster spot opens back up, and it comes at a time when the Ravens are still building toward the upcoming season. With Adeniji no longer in the picture, the team may need to add another offensive lineman to help round out the depth chart, leaving one more question for a line that rarely gets the luxury of standing still. [Read more 🡒]