Jesse Minter Confident in Ravens’ Cornerback Depth After Nate Wiggins Injury

The Baltimore Ravens feel well-equipped to weather what might be their first major blow to a starter on the injury front during training camp.

Jul 29, 2026; Ownings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) stretches during practice at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just when it seemed like the Baltimore Ravens dodged their first significant injury scare to a prominent starting player, with two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers missing just one practice after suffering a quad contusion on Saturday, they got hit with another on Tuesday when starting cornerback Nate Wiggins was carted off the field about an hour into practice.

According to multiple reports from reporters in attendance, the third-year pro went down with what looked like a left knee/leg injury while covering rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane and was in noticeable pain. He couldn't put any weight on his injured leg and was helped off the field by trainers.

" He got his feet tangled with Lane while covering a go route and fell hard to the ground," ESPN's Jamison Hensley accounted. "Trainers looked at the left leg and knee of Wiggins, who was in visible pain. He is the first player to be carted off in this year’s training camp."

Head coach Jesse Minter addressed the unfortunate development in his opening statement when speaking with the media during his post-practice press conference. While he didn't have any updates to give or declarative statements about Wiggins' injury, as the former first-rounder will need to undergo further testing to determine the severity of it, he did express hope that it might not be anything long-term.

“I don’t have a ton of information on that yet. We'll kind of get it looked at, see where it's at," Minter said. “I think there’s optimism.”

Wiggins has been on an ascent since he finished strong in the second half of his rookie season in 2024. The former first-round pick established himself as the Ravens' top cornerback last year, leading the team with a career-high 14 pass breakups and finishing second in interceptions with three. Heading into the 2026 season, he is slated to be a central figure in Minter's coverage plan for the overall secondary and is projected to break out in a good way.

Without him, they might have to rely more on a zone-heavy approach instead of using as much man-coverage that someone of Wiggins' ability would've allowed them to deploy more regularly.

"Obviously, Nate is an elite player," Minter said. "I think Nate has [the] potential to be one of the top corners in the whole league."

Ravens are confident in those who remain

Jul 29, 2026; Ownings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during practice at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While losing Wiggins for any amount of time would be a tough blow for a Baltimore defense looking to rebound from what was a widely inconsistent and overall abysmal 2025 campaign, the team's cupboard at the position is far from bare.

They still have a pair of 10th-year veterans in four-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey and Chido Awuzie, who were slated to play prominent roles even before Wiggins went down and have been performing well in training camp as of late, further inspiring more belief in the coaching staff that they are still well-equipped at cornerback.

"I got a lot of confidence in the corner room," Minter said. "I look at Marlon, [and] he's probably had his best couple days that last couple times out here. Chido, this guy has played a ton of football and played at a really high level. I think he's had a great camp up to this point.

The Ravens also have a handful of young talent that they're really excited about and have also been putting together strong showings in camp thus far in third-year pro T.J. Tampa, second-year pro Keyon Martin and fifth-round rookie Chandler Rivers.

"T.J. Tampa has done a lot of great things; Keyon Martin has done a lot of good stuff, Chandler [Rivers] has done a lot of good stuff and we got some young guys battling for trust and spots so I feel really good about the secondary overall."

The aforementioned other "young guys" include second-year pros Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam, who were 2025 sixth-round picks, and Marquise Robinson, who was an undrafted free agent last year. Wiggins' injury won't impact the approach that the coaches already take with the other players at the position because they are always preparing them for bigger roles if and when their numbers are called.

"I don't think you're ever not rushing guys to go play; we're doing everything we can to get T.J. Tampa ready to play, to get the young guys ready to play," Minter said. "I don't think [Wiggins' injury] changes that. It might change the amount of reps they get against a certain group and the opportunities they get in practice but again, I like where that room is at."