T.J. Tampa Jr. has spent training camp making it harder for the Ravens to keep him off the field.
With Baltimore’s cornerback group suddenly under a brighter spotlight after Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey left practice early on back-to-back days, Tampa’s steady summer has taken on even more weight. The third-year defensive back has been one of the standouts of camp, showing sticky coverage, jumping routes and even ripping the ball away from running back Rasheen Ali for a forced fumble in an 11-on-11 period.
“He has found the ball,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “He has made plays on the ball, which ultimately, that is what you are looking for at cornerback.
And, he goes out and competes every day. He is one of those guys where if he does make a mistake, he very rarely makes the same mistake twice.
That is all you are asking for with any football player.”
For Tampa, the opportunity has been building for a while. The 2024 fourth-round pick was already pushing toward a rotational defensive role before Wiggins’ injury scare. Now, with no timetable set for Wiggins’ return despite no structural damage to his left knee, Tampa could be asked to take on a bigger job than anyone expected.
“I've really just wanted to show [that] I am reliable,” Tampa Jr. said. “I am here to put the work in, [and] I am here to show up when my time is needed.”
That mindset fits what Baltimore is asking of its corners under new head coach and defensive play-caller Jesse Minter. During his two-year run as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2024-25, Minter regularly leaned on his top four or five corners, and the Ravens appear headed for a similar setup. Tampa says he’s adjusting well to this version of a scheme he’s already been around since entering the league, and the results in practice have backed that up.
“It is very validating.,” Tampa said. “[I'm] just listening to the coaches, coming in with the new scheme and listening to them and they're helping me make plays, so that's always good.”
Through his first two seasons, Tampa’s game action has mostly come on special teams, which is often where depth defensive backs get their first real foothold in Baltimore. He still looks like a player who will matter in that third phase, but he’s also working to make sure the Ravens don’t lose anything when he’s on the field at corner.
“I know I have a big role on special teams and that's what it is, but I am focused on defense and just making that one of the main things. [I'm] just showing up there and not letting there be a decline when the 'twos' come in.”
The learning curve has already started to flatten. Tampa said the difference now is comfort - knowing the playbook, knowing the people around him and being able to play faster because he isn’t spending every snap thinking through the basics.
“Coming in as a rookie, everything is new,” Tampa said. “You're trying to be comfortable, you're trying to learn people [and] you're trying to learn plays, and just having all that in the back of my mind [now], already knowing the plays, [it is] just helping me play a little bit faster.”
His NFL résumé is still growing, but the numbers show how much more he got last season. After appearing in seven games as a rookie and playing just 18 defensive snaps, Tampa played in all 17 games in 2025 and logged 147 defensive snaps, with most of that work coming in the first half of the season. He made his first career start before the bye and finished with 29 total tackles, two pass breakups and his first career interception.
“T.J. TAMPA's FIRST CAREER PICK!!!!!!!!!!!
@Tamp1A Back in action Thursday NBC at 8:20! pic.twitter.com/AzZef50LUz”
Even after his defensive snaps dipped after Week 6, Tampa said the reps he did get were valuable.
“It helps a lot. Experience is everything,” Tampa said. “Just getting those reps, getting the higher rep counts has helped me [be] more comfortable and see stuff happen.”
If Wiggins is unavailable when the regular season begins, Tampa may be asked to step in right away. Weaver believes the tools are there for Tampa to become exactly the kind of player Baltimore thought it was getting after he slipped to Day 3 three years ago.
“He has all the skill sets to be whatever he wants to be,” Weaver said. “It is just a matter of going out there and being consistently good, and not occasionally great, and we have seen that from him.”
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