A Healthier Nate Wiggins Should Mean More INTs For A Needy Ravens Defense

If the Ravens secondary is going to be as good and deep as some project, and if it’s going to be among the best units in football, Nate Wiggins must emerge as a playmaking corner.

The recent first-round pick, like the entire defense, took a step back in 2025. Especially, for Wiggins, 22, in the back half of the season, he became a target. Perhaps, more of his decline was injury-related than the team would let on, as he underwent an undisclosed procedure this offseason to correct something that had been bothering to some degree since his teenage years.

Perhaps it was the lack of any semblance of a pass rush. Or perhaps it had something to do with fellow starting Marlon Humphrey having one of the worst seasons of any NFL corner last season. And you can count me among those who do believe this secondary has the potential for greatness. And Wiggins is absolutely pivotal to that.

"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."

Back End Can’t Bust

Rookie head coach Jesse Minter, who also serves as the defensive play caller, will put this group in position to shine.

They will be in quarters coverage quite a bit and versed in zone looks with opportunities to break on the ball and the pass rush almost has to be better. If second-year safety Malaki Starks emerges as the ball-hawking centerfielder many project, it’s going to deter quarterbacks from attacking the middle of the field so religiously and adroitly as they have the last two years (a bounce-back year from middle linebacker Roquan Smith would help with that, too).

That should create be more chances for the outside corners to make plays on the boundary.

There is no doubt that Wiggins is agile enough and sticky enough to get his hands on the ball more than he has (four career picks). This could be the breakout year. I wouldn’t bet against it, as he continues to fill out his slight frame and become more steeled to the rigors of the NFL game.

The Ravens ranked just 20th in the NFL over the last two years – under overmatched former defensive coordinator Zach Orr – in interceptions per passing attempt (1.8%). This despite putting more resources into the back end than anywhere else on the roster (save for franchise QB Lamar Jackson) and especially trying to load up on former first-round corners.

Minter’s Chargers defense in that same time, despite relying on mid-round corners and value plays, ranked third in the NFL with a 3.2% interception rate. The Chargers led the NFL in INT/TD rate during Minter’s two years in charge, while the Ravens ranked 17th.

One would think with a new staff – albeit one with several particulars with past Ravens ties (both Minter and Weaver were here before in different roles) – there would be renewed competition and positions on the depth chat on the line. Does Humphrey’s outsized $19.25M salary (not one of the contracts restructured this week) mean he is absolutely a starter and headed for regular work?

Is he headed to the slot more often than not?

Wiggins being a true No. 1 corner would create even more leeway for Minter to get uber-creative with how he deploys this secondary. Given his import, we wont get a real looksee at the youngster until the regular season, especially with him coming off surgery.

This franchise has a long lineage at playmakers at this position. He should be the next one.

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