Injury to Nate Wiggins marred another strong practice by Ravens’ defense

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It started as a great rep for Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins. He stayed stride-for-stride with rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, who has been punishing Ravens cornerbacks throughout training camp. Wiggins had good position on Lane as they moved toward the end zone. The cornerback then found the slightly overthrown football and attempted to make a play on it.

In the process, Wiggins appeared to take an awkward step and tumbled to the ground. He immediately grabbed his left leg and started writhing in pain. Members of the Ravens’ athletic training staff tended to him immediately and helped him onto a medical cart nearby. After arriving outside the training room, Wiggins was helped off the cart and was unable to put any weight on his left leg.

The potential of a significant injury to one of the team’s most important players marred the Ravens’ 11th training camp practice and provided first-year head coach Jesse Minter with some early adversity as he heads into what Baltimore hopes will be a quick turnaround for a traditionally strong defense that struggled mightily last season.

“We don’t have a ton of information on that yet,” Minter said following the practice. “We’ll kind of get it looked at and see where it’s at.”

After Wiggins’ MRI, the Ravens believe the 22-year-old cornerback avoided a major injury, per a team source. He could be sidelined for a bit, but the expectation is that the first-round pick from 2024 will be back sooner rather than later.

Ravens players and decision-makers were certainly concerned on the field. Several players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, consoled Wiggins after he was loaded onto the cart. Head athletic trainer Adrian Dixon, who had been with Wiggins, returned to the field to speak with general manager Eric DeCosta, and Minter came over to briefly join the conversation.

“Really not much between the two guys in the play, so whether it was hitting the ground or whatever it was, we’ll see what it looks like,” Minter said.

The Ravens do have some depth at cornerback. Marlon Humphrey is a four-time Pro Bowler, and the team is optimistic that he’ll rebound after a difficult 2025 season. The Ravens re-signed veteran Chidobe Awuzie, who has made 86 career starts and played well last year. T.J. Tampa, a 2024 fourth-round pick, is having a great camp and was already pushing for a more prominent role. There are a number of talented young corners behind them, including Keyon Martin, Bilhal Kone and rookie fifth-round pick Chandler Rivers.

Still, although he has fought some inconsistencies through his first two NFL seasons, Wiggins is the Ravens’ closest answer to a matchup cornerback. Any plan to play more man-to-man defense this year and be more aggressive at the line of scrimmage hinged partly on Wiggins being on the field and having a breakout season. His form early in training camp suggested that was a realistic possibility.

“Nate Wiggins is a high-caliber, first-round pick corner — a great player,” Minter said. “You’re not just going to say, ‘Oh, everything’s the same,’ whatever, because it’s built around the talents of the players. I just know that we’ll be able to do things, however it shakes out. I feel good about the secondary.”

It’s a tough development, though, for Wiggins. He had groin surgery this offseason, and he remarked that he felt fully healthy for the first time in his young career. It took just three weeks for that to change.

Jackson won’t play Saturday

The Ravens will open the preseason Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles. Minter confirmed that many of the team’s more “established players,” including Jackson, will not play. Jackson has not played in a preseason game since the 2021 matchup against Washington at FedEx Field, when running back J.K. Dobbins tore up a knee.

“It’s an individual basis,” Minter said. “I would say, based on maybe some of the experience and how many snaps they’ve played and things like that. I do think there’s value. We will have three joint practices, which I view in high regard for the work that we’ll be able to get there in a more controlled environment for specific positions, especially. So, it’s a little bit of an individual basis, for sure.”

Other camp notes

• Wide receiver Zay Flowers returned to the field Tuesday after missing just one practice with a quad contusion. Flowers did individual drills and headed inside about an hour into the practice. Martin and defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles also returned to the field after missing time recently. The list of non-participants in Tuesday’s practice included quarterback Skylar Thompson, running back Rasheen Ali, wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Dayton Wade, inside linebackers Teddye Buchanan (on the physically unable to perform list) and Carl Jones, and safety Jahquez Robinson.

• Nose tackle Travis Jones was activated from the PUP list and made his training camp debut Tuesday. Travis Jones has been working his way back from pectoral surgery. “Travis looks great,” Minter said. “He’ll be a guy that in the first few days we’ll probably have to hold him back, which is sometimes a good thing. But, ‘Trav’ looks amazing striking the sled. He’s been putting in a ton of work off the field, in the weight room, conditioning. I expect big, big things.”

• Rookie seventh-round defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, who is trying to win a reserve job, left practice early after getting banged up during the team session. He walked slowly off the field and then stayed under one of the medical tents along the sideline for a while. He then walked inside with a member of the athletic training staff.

• Offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. drove inside linebacker Jay Higgins IV to the ground, and the two got tangled up and exchanged shoves before order was quickly restored. Emery Jones has been ornery at times in practice, and Higgins felt the brunt of it.

• Undrafted safety Silas Walters picked off an overthrown ball by Joe Fagnano. Humphrey, who has strung together a couple of solid practices, also intercepted Jackson on a ball intended for Mark Andrews in the end zone. Overall, it was another day where Baltimore’s defense dominated the offense.

• The offensive highlights included a few big plays to Devontez Walker and Cornelius Johnson, who has struggled at times with drops, laying out to make a sparkling touchdown catch of a Tyler Huntley pass.

• Kicker Tyler Loop had another really good day, making all seven of his field goal attempts. He also remained perfect from beyond 50 yards. After how last season ended, Loop will ultimately be judged by how he performs in the regular season, particularly in the clutch. However, he’s doing everything he can to quiet some of the outside sentiment that the Ravens need to bring in another kicker. He didn’t kick the ball particularly well at the team’s stadium practice in College Park, Md., on Aug. 2. Otherwise, he’s been close to flawless.