Ravens Coach Dishes on Rookie Kyle Hamilton, Rest of Secondary

Ravens revamped their secondary this offseason.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens pass game coordinator/secondary coach Chris Hewitt likes what he sees from rookie safety Kyle Hamilton and is encouraged by the potential of the rest of the secondary. 

"Notre Dame guy, [he] does have that pedigree," Hewitt said about Hamilton. "He was raised by a good family and all of those things, and he’s done a phenomenal job. He’s extremely instinctive, has ‘go-go gadget’ arms, he’s six-foot-four, agile. He’s the total package. We’re very, very happy with him.”

On where there is room for Hamilton's improvement:

Hewitt: "He’s learning a new system; he’s going to make mistakes. By the time we come around … I promise you, that when the first game comes, he’ll know what he’s supposed to be doing and he won’t be making mistakes that he made today. He’s not an error repeater, he’s on top of his job. [Safeties coach] D’Anton Lynn, who also coaches the safeties, is doing an awesome job with him. Also [defensive assistant] Matt Robinson who also works with us in the backend is doing a great job with that guy.”

On rookie cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion “Pepe” Williams:

Hewitt: “Jalyn’s a great corner. He has the speed; he has everything that you want in a corner. He has the height, speed, change of direction, he has all of that great stuff. Now it’s all about experience and being able to do it on a consistent level. And ‘Pepe’, Damarion [Williams] … He might not be the fastest and he might not be the biggest, but I guarantee you [that] the kid has got the biggest heart and he’s a good football player. I always bet on good football players to go out there and do their job. That kid plays with great energy, and he’s going to make us better as a team. I really love the kid and I think he’s going to have a great future.”

On Marlon Humphrey, Williams and Kyle Fuller moving around the field:

USA Today Sports

Hewitt: “Well, it gives us the element of surprise. I’ve always believed in guys that are interchangeable; guys that are able to do different jobs and go out there and go play. It keeps the offense on their toes and not knowing what that particular guy is going to be doing, you can’t always find out where he’s going to be at. So, it’s going to help us as a defense, help us with our disguises. We’ll really be able to match up guys against certain players, so it’s going to give us plenty of flexibility that we’ll actually … We’ll definitely use that to our advantage.”

On Tony Jefferson's role:

Hewitt: “Tony hasn’t missed a step. Once he got back here and he was coming off the ACL [injury], he has no lingering effects from it. He looks like the Tony Jefferson that we signed whatever amount of years ago … What was that, 2017, or whatever it was? He’s still young and spry. I don’t believe – he might have just turned 30, I think. But, Tony brings a lot of energy and just like what you talk about, a lot of experience. He’s a leader, and he brings all the other guys together. [He] talks to anybody on the team, including the kicker. (laughter) So, I’m really happy with Tony being here and we’ll see what happens going forward. But, I love having Tony around.”