Bilhal Kone is getting exactly the kind of summer he needs.
For a young cornerback who doesn’t have any reps handed to him in 2026, every snap in training camp and preseason carries real weight. Kone is trying to turn those chances into something bigger, and this past week’s joint practices against the Minnesota Vikings gave him a little bit of everything - a highlight, a tough assignment, and another look at where he stands.
The high point came when Kone jumped an underthrown pass from Kyler Murray for an interception. That was the kind of play that reminds people why Baltimore drafted him in the first place.
But the same practices also put him across from Justin Jefferson, and that matchup went the other way. Kone got beat.
Even so, he came away sounding upbeat about the work he put in against one of the league’s best receivers.
Felt great, great rep!
That’s the sort of response that matters this time of year. One-on-one work doesn’t leave a lot of room for a corner to hide, and Kone likely did enough in that setting to at least give the defensive line a shot if it had been live action. For a player trying to carve out a role, that’s a meaningful sign.
Kone’s path has already been a difficult one. Baltimore picked him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but a severe knee injury in Week 1 of the 2025 preseason wiped out his rookie season before it really began. In effect, he’s entering this year as a redshirt freshman, still trying to make up for lost time.
That puts a lot on his plate. He’s working under a new coaching staff, he’s coming off a lost year, and he has plenty to prove before anyone can pencil him in for regular-season snaps. The good news is that the Ravens do have a need for boundary cornerback depth, and Kone’s profile gives him a real chance to matter there if he keeps trending up.
At 6-foot-1, he has the size to battle receivers on the outside in man coverage. He also shows the kind of instincts and anticipation that can make life difficult at the catch point. Add in the aggressive, competitive style he brings, and it’s easy to see why the Ravens may be willing to keep investing in him.
The cornerback room overall looks strong, but when it comes to outside depth, T.J. Tampa and Kone are the main backups with that skill set. That makes Kone’s development even more important heading into the season.
If he can keep stacking days like the ones he had against Minnesota, he may be in position to earn real reps in 2026. Week 2 of the preseason against the Vikings could be another chance to show he’s ready.
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Chandler Rivers kept making the kind of plays that force a coaching staff to take a closer look. In the Ravens Week 2 preseason game, the fifth-round rookie cornerback was active everywhere, finishing with five combined tackles, 0.5 sacks and a pass breakup while flashing the kind of versatility that can matter in a crowded secondary.
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Ravens Rookie Receivers Just Faced A Real Test In This WR Battle
JaKobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt have spent Ravens training camp and the preseason trying to turn promise into something more concrete, and both got another chance to show where they fit in the receiver mix during Baltimores win over the Minnesota Vikings. Neither rookie was a headline-grabber in that game, but the bigger picture remains encouraging for a pair of young pass catchers still working to earn trust in an offense that values every useful target it can find.
Lane was on the field for 17 offensive snaps and finished with one catch, while Sarratt played six snaps and also came away with one reception. For a pair of rookies in a crowded evaluation period, the lack of production was a reminder that opportunities are still limited, but Baltimore has seen enough from both to keep them in the conversation as potential contributors when the chances become more consistent. [Read more 🡒]