Nate Wiggins excelled at man coverage during his rookie NFL season
Nate Wiggins excelled at man coverage during his rookie NFL season Nate Wiggins deployable skill had to delight Zach Orr in 2024
Baltimore Ravens defensive back Nate Wiggins played exceptionally well during his rookie season with the franchise. Alongside veteran Marlon Humphrey, Wiggins led the team in pass deflections, making his presence felt on the outside against elite opposing NFL wide receivers. Nevertheless, the franchise doubled back in the 2025 NFL Draft by selecting another potent young talent in Malaki Starks just a week ago. Having built the confidence to play at the NFL level through trial in the previous postseason, Wiggins should be prone to make an even bigger impact in season two.
As we all know, the Ravens began the 2024 NFL season ranked near the bottom of the NFL in pass yards allowed per game. Struggling to commit to man coverage, defensive coordinator Zach Orr worked to identify ways to implement combo coverages. Wiggins was often responsible for covering one-on-one, while teammate Marlon Humphrey would frequently cover the underneath slot wide receivers to take away easy throws for opposing quarterbacks.
Wiggins, having already enjoyed the company of safety Kyle Hamilton and A'darius Washington, will now be accompanied by a sizable threat in Starks, who may be deployed in defensive coordinator Zach Orr's Big Nickel package. The upside for the Ravens' defense this upcoming season is limitless, and if things manifest to their potential, the way they appear on paper, this will greatly help them down the stretch.
Ultimately, Wiggins is likely to bulk up over the summer through conditioning, thus propelling him to be an even better player in the years to come.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
25 minutes ago
- New York Post
Packers releasing two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander after contract dispute
The Green Bay Packers are releasing two-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander, according to reports Monday morning. The 28-year-old has played a combined 14 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as he has struggled with injuries. Jaire Alexander has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Packers. AP Alexander signed a four-year, $22 million contract extension in 2022. He and Green Bay explored trade options this offseason before he was then asked to restructure his contract and take a pay cut ahead of the upcoming season. Alexander seemingly did not want to restructure his deal, and now came the decision to cut ties. Jaire Alexander was selected with the 18th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Getty Images Before his injuries, Alexander had been one of the league's premier defensive backs since he joined the Packers as a first-round pick in 2018. In 2020, he reached his first Pro Bowl and received his first second-team All-Pro nod. He earned the same honors in 2022 after an injury-plagued 2021 season.
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Broncos predicted to take a step back in 2025
Broncos predicted to take a step back in 2025 The Denver Broncos took a huge step forward last season, reaching the NFL playoffs with a 10-7 record while starting a rookie quarterback. Many fans and pundits now expect the club to take another leap in 2025. Not everyone is confident the team will continue progressing, though. Touchdown Wire's Jarrett Bailey recently released his 2025 record predictions for each team, and he has the Broncos taking a step backward this fall. Bailey has predicted Denver will go 8-9, finishing behind the Los Angeles Chargers (9-8) and Kansas City Chiefs (14-3), above only the Las Vegas Raiders (8-9) in the AFC West. "Denver's defense will be one of the best in the league, but the offense will take a step back with a lack of top weapons," Bailey wrote for Touchdown Wire. It will be fascinating to track how that prediction ages in 2025 as quarterback Bo Nix enters his second season. Sean Payton's squad averaged 25 points per game in 2024, which ranked 10th in the NFL. Bailey expects two fewer wins and worse offensive production this year. Time will tell. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Forbes
38 minutes ago
- Forbes
Packers Will Release CB Jaire Alexander
The Green Bay Packers are expected to release cornerback Jaire Alexander today. The Jaire Alexander Experience is over in Green Bay. The Packers' gifted, quirky and oft-injured cornerback will be released today according to the NFL Network. Green Bay's mandatory minicamp runs June 10-12, and Alexander was expected to attend. In the last four seasons, Alexander — a first round draft pick in 2018 — missed 34 of a potential 68 games. He also couldn't finish four of the games he played in after sustaining injuries. Alexander was also suspended for one game after appointing himself a captain for a 2023 game at Carolina — a contest in which he bungled the coin toss call in a move that nearly cost the Packers a possession. The Packers and Alexander's camp discussed restructuring a contract that would have paid him $17.5 million this season. When the two sides couldn't find middle ground, though, the Packers decided to release Alexander. 'We're working together on finding the best solution for everybody,' Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in March. 'Obviously we've invested a lot into Jaire, and I want to make sure if he's not going to be on our football team helping us win games that we get something back for that investment. We'll see where it goes, but, again, working with him weekly and we'll try to figure out what's best for Jaire and the Packers.' Alexander's last action in 2024 came on Nov. 17 and he finished the campaign on the injured reserve list with a knee injury. When Alexander was asked about his future after last season ended, he issued this doozy. 'I don't even know if I'll be here next year,' he said. Alexander also added: 'You don't want to hear what I've got to say. … I don't have anything good to say.' There was a time Alexander ranked among the top corners in football. In 2018, Alexander was named to the NFL's all-rookie team. In 2019, Alexander tied for fourth in the league with 17 passes defensed and had two interceptions. And as recently as 2020, Pro Football Focus ranked Alexander as the No. 1 cornerback in football. He also intercepted Tampa Bay's Tom Brady twice in the NFC Championship Game that year. Since then, though, it's been one injury after another for one of the NFL's most bombastic players. Alexander played just four games in 2021 due to a shoulder injury. In 2023, he missed 10 games — three with a back injury, six with a shoulder injury, and a 10th contest after he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Then in 2024, Alexander missed 10 games due to quadricep and groin injuries, as well as a torn posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. 'Obviously, he was trying to get his knee right, it wasn't getting right, and so, yeah, it's a tough deal for all of us,' Packers coach Matt LaFleur said at the end of last season. Without Alexander around, Green Bay's top three cornerbacks are Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine.
