The Ravens got a scare on Tuesday when top corner Nate Wiggins was carted off the practice field after a one-on-one drill with rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.
Wiggins, one of the young players on Baltimore’s roster facing major immediate expectations, left practice with what is currently being called an undisclosed injury. He and Lane got tangled up during the rep, and while Jesse Minter said there “was not a whole lot there” in the contact, Wiggins still ended up on the ground and did not finish the session.
“One of those plays, really not much between those guys,” Minter said.
Minter also said, “I think there is optimism,” but added, “but, again, we’ll look at it and see where it’s at.”
The Ravens already had Wiggins slated to sit out Saturday’s preseason game as one of the team’s key players, but any injury involving a player of his profile is going to draw immediate attention. This was the first major injury concern of Minter’s first training camp as head coach, and the fact that Wiggins left on a cart only heightened the unease.
Baltimore’s defense had just gotten a boost with the activation of defensive tackle Travis Jones from the Physically Unable to Perform list, leaving the unit back at full strength except for a handful of younger players still working back from surgery, including linebacker Teddye Buchanan.
Wiggins entered camp after a second half to last season that was rough, though not quite as rough as veteran Marlon Humphrey’s. Humphrey, one of the most frequently targeted starting corners in the NFL, has had a difficult summer and said the staff correctly called his play “trash” at times. The expectation is that he was likely headed to the slot more fulltime.
The Ravens also brought back veteran Chidobe Awuzie on a less free agent deal after his strong 2025 season, one of the few bright spots on one of the league’s worst defenses. Injuries have been an issue for him too, and a lighter workload makes sense. Baltimore has several young corners dealing with injuries as well.
For Wiggins, the plan is still tied to this zone-heavy scheme, where the Ravens expect him to get his hands on the ball more. Minter’s Chargers defenses ranked in the top three in interception rate in each of the last two seasons. Wiggins has shown he can stay attached in coverage, but last season the whole defensive backfield was exposed by a lack of pass rush and too much Cover-1 and Cover-0.
Cornerback has long been one of the areas where general manager Eric DeCosta has poured resources, and Minter sounded confident in the group after practice.
“I feel really good about where were at overall,” he said.
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