The Baltimore Ravens ' secondary is supposed to be the strength of the team. Heck, its supposed to be arguably one of the best position groups among any position group on any NFL roster.
That's seemingly the only way general-manager-for-life Eric DeCosta builds his teams, and that's why rookie head coach Jesse Minter is the runway leader in use of dime coverage through two weeks (six times the league average), and he is in nickel or dime 95% of the time. And for one week, against a Colts offense that was pop-gun in scope and riddled with key players returning from season-ending surgeries, it looked pretty good. And then the Saints picked it apart in the second half, handing DeCosta his 15th loss since 2019 when holding a lead of 10 points or more (stunningly, 10th at home).
Poor performances from their starting safeties in coverage and missed tackle opportunities had plenty to do with it.
Getting more out of second-year free safety Malaki Starks ( their top pick in 2025 who was supposed to be a quick study) and free-agent signing Jaylinn Hawkins is imperative. The sooner the better, because the challenge on their side of the ball only increases this week having to face Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott , in as pass-happy an offense as you will find, with two No. 1 receivers and a legit move tight end, playing on a soft surface in Brazil that will undoubtedly favor the offense.
It's been, frankly, bad from Starks and Hawkins so far in anything other than run support, and if it continues too much longer, the natural inclination will be to move hybrid defender Kyle Hamilton deeper in coverage (he's been used as a true free safety very sporadically thus far). But that tends to lessen his individual impact significantly and the defense's' potency around the line of scrimmage and collecting all these defensive backs in the first place was done specifically with the idea of Hamilton remaining the ultimate wild card.
Either way, the back end better step up, quickly. And when asked about Starks, specifically, on Monday, Minter hinted at as much.
"I think, honestly, we are all chasing things a little bit," Minter said, "and really need to figure out what our identity is on defense, just from what we are trying to do. That is my job - to put the guys in the best position to be successful. So, I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have.
"Again, take this moment, take this opportunity, 'OK, how can I do better on this play, this play, this play?' I have a lot of confidence in Malaki Starks, and so I am confident that he will bounce back and be the type of player that I know he can (be)."
Um, that's about as close as you're going to get a rip job with this novice head coach, especially considering the import of Starks to this roster short-and-long term. Sunday was rough and Dallas's passing attack is even more diverse and multifold and probes all quadrants of the field in a way most cannot.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough - who admittedly found success doing pretty much anything he wanted against this defense - was particularly expert picking on the safeties. He was 8/8 for 118 yards and a touchdown when they were a primary in coverage. Yeah, perfect.
Before we break down the individual plays, here's some numbers to quantify things through two games:
Starks In Coverage: 7/8, 88 yds, TD (152.1 RTG); 2 Comp 20 + yds, 3 1st Downs, 1 DPI
Hawkins In Coverage:5/6. 73 yds, (117.4); 2 Comp 20+, 3 1st Downs
The Colts didn't even try to push the ball downfield much, but the Saints repeatedly faced third-and-long in a much closer game, and they feasted with safeties a primary culprit.
Starks In Coverage Sunday
1st-and-10: Shough steps up in pocket hits rookie TE Oscar Delp +8
3rd-and-5: Starks lets Chris Olave spin away, get outside +12
2nd-and-4: Starks bites outside, doubles WR in corner, Olave +21 TD
2nd-and-G (7): Shot pass to TE Juwan Johnson +6, nearly drags Starks into endzone
Hawkins In Coverage Sunday
1st-and-10: Short pass to RB Alvin Kamara +6
3rd-and-7: Shough to WR Devaughn Vele in slot, bracketed, Hawkins hesitant to play ball
3rd-and-13: Shough steps up under pressure, pop pass to Vele +29, big YAC
3rd-and-13: Screen to Johnson, wide open, ramble +25
Not surprising the ball found Hawkins in some of those desperate spots, as coverage is not his primary forte. It must be the case for Starks, and year two must be one of growth and development and consistent impact. This defense is designed for him to be a playmaker on the ball. Having All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike return is the ultimate gravitational piece, and should help everyone, but the back end better get cleaned up quickly.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/ravens/onsi as Ravens Safety Play Through Two Games Has Been Dangerous, Must Improve ASAP .
