Ravens pass defense outlook

By: Jake Rajala

The Baltimore Ravens clearly have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. It’s less talked about how their pass defense is shaped. With that said, I’m going to cover the ins and outs of their pass defense. The Ravens ranked 27th in passing yards allowed last season, after ranking sixth in passing yards allowed in 2023. It was a drop-off that nobody anticipated. They also ranked 18th in interceptions a season ago. With that said, the pivotal question arises: where does the Ravens pass defense rank right now?

Marlon Humphrey was a flat out nightmare for foes last season. He had six interceptions, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He had a PFF grade of 81, which was 8th among CBs. This led him to be first-team All-Pro. It was his second time being named first team All-Pro. He was named first team all-pro in 2019. He had 8 forced fumbles in 2020, yet he wasn’t named All-Pro.

Kyle Hamilton is one of the best safeties in the league. He unveiled 107 tackles, six QB hits, two sacks, and nine pass deflections. He can excel in the box and on the backend. He had a 90.1 PFF grade – which was third among safeties!

Nate Wiggins, who was their 30th overall pick in 2024, is also not a slouch. He had 13 pass deflections last season. He had a PFF grade of 70.7, which was 43rd among corners.

The Ravens clearly have a Top-5 CB and Top-3 safety. So, what is the problem? It was the other safety spot and CB depth. Well, the Ravens arguably drafted the best safety in the draft in Malaki Starks. He had an NFL score of 78 – which was second among rookies.

In my opinion, there isn’t a reason why they don’t rank in the Top-15 of most passing defense categories. Not only due they have a lot of gifted pass defenders, but they play in a weak division. The Browns were 32nd in PPG and the Steelers were 20th in PPG last season.

If Malaki can understand the playbook right away, there is no reason that Hamilton and Malaki aren’t a Top-5 safety duo. Malaki should get tested quite a bit with Hamilton being a Top-3 safety. Perhaps Malaki can capitalize on the attention and be a DROY candidate.