Ravens 2024 place evaluate: Safeties

With the 2024 season formally within the books and the beginning of the brand new league 12 months lower than a month away, it’s the proper time to evaluate the Baltimore Ravens one place group at a time earlier than fully turning the web page ahead to gearing up for 2025.

Within the subsequent installment of this text sequence, the safeties are up after a 12 months during which they needed to restrict their most versatile participant, bench their highest-paid participant and elevate an unheralded expertise to stabilize the secondary.

Kyle Hamilton

Photograph by Luke Hales/Getty Photographs

Coming off a breakout 2023 marketing campaign during which he earned Professional Bowl and First Staff All Professional honors, expectations for Hamilton heading into 2024 have been excessive and he not solely lived as much as them in some ways however exceeded them. Constant breakdowns and lapses in protection on account of miscommunication and poor execution resulted in him transitioning into extra of a conventional security as a substitute of the hybrid nickel that made him a budding star.

Hamilton proved that regardless of not being allowed to wreak havoc within the field and across the line of scrimmage as usually, he may nonetheless be a disruptive and impactful presence. He earned his second straight Professional Bowl nod and Second Staff AP All Professional honors after showing in each recreation and recording a career-high 107 complete tackles together with 4 for a loss, two sacks, six quarterback hits, two compelled fumbles, a fumble restoration, 9 go breakups and one interception.

Ar’Darius Washington

Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Photographs

After being plagued with accidents in his first three seasons within the league, the 2021 undrafted defensive again stayed wholesome and when he lastly acquired his likelihood to play in a distinguished position, he made absolutely the most of it. His insertion into the beginning lineup beginning in Week 11 performed simply as large of a job within the unbelievable 180 turnaround of the Ravens’ go protection from the league’s worst to greatest as Hamilton’s transition to taking part in extra deep security.

Washington’s communication, physicality and instincts have been all wonderful and it didn’t take him lengthy to go from a stabilizing drive to rising as a playmaker for the Ravens protection as he made clutch performs to drive stops and/or turnovers on a weekly foundation. He performed in each recreation for the primary time and set profession highs throughout the board with 64 complete tackles together with 5 for a loss, two quarterback hits, a sack, two interceptions, eight go breakups and a compelled fumble.

Marcus Williams

Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Photographs

Whereas accidents hampered the as soon as prized veteran free agent signing throughout his first two seasons in Baltimore, his third was marred by errors and flat-out underperformance which led to him getting changed by Washington within the beginning lineup. The big half he performed within the Ravens’ constant lapses in protection by way of the primary 10 weeks of the season led to his first benching in Week 8. It was adopted by a everlasting regulation to a daily inactive beginning in Week 13 and he didn’t play one other snap within the common or postseason. Williams’ last season with the Ravens noticed him seem in 11 video games, make 9 begins and file 33 complete tackles together with one for a loss, a fumble restoration and two go breakups.

The operating again was 22 yards away when Marcus Williams triggered from heart subject to make this sort out.

First play from scrimmage and helped set the tone on a day of enchancment for the Ravens protection. pic.twitter.com/TXuBHBh7rK

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) November 4, 2024

Eddie Jackson

Photograph by Perry Knotts/Getty Photographs

The Ravens introduced within the former two-time Professional Bowler throughout coaching with the hope that he’d fill the position of their secondary vacated by the departure of Geno Stone in free company final March after main the AFC with a career-high seven interceptions. Given his beforehand famend prowess as a ballhawk with 15 profession interceptions, it appeared like an ideal match on paper.

Sadly, their imaginative and prescient for him by no means got here to fruition and Jackson’s efficiency on the sector fell nicely in need of expectations. He turned disgruntled and was ultimately granted his launch. Not solely did he file only one go breakup in 339 defensive snaps however he didn’t notch a single interception regardless of having two prime alternatives that would’ve prevented one of many Ravens’ largest upsets of the common season in Week 8 in opposition to the Cleveland Browns. Jackson appeared in 9 video games, made 4 begins and recorded 30 complete tackles together with one for a loss and a quarterback hit.

Sanoussi Kane

Photograph by Nick Cammett/Diamond Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

It didn’t take the seventh-round rookie lengthy to make an impression and carve out the position he would play in his first season as a major particular workforce contributor. He made two wonderful kind tackles on a pair of punts within the preseason opener with out giving up a single yard to the returner and shortly established himself as top-of-the-line and most constant gamers on the workforce within the part of the sport.

Kane served as the non-public protector for punter Jordan Stout, lined and blocked kicks and punts and helped down some punts contained in the opposing 20-yard line. The motion he noticed on protection got here in a mixed 22 snaps on the finish of blowout video games whereas he was on the sector of 325 particular groups snaps. Kane missed a few video games with minor accidents however appeared in 17 together with the playoffs and recorded 9 complete tackles together with 5 solos.

Beau Brade

Photograph by Nick Cammett/Diamond Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

The Maryland product additionally made a robust impression through the preseason besides his spotlight performs got here on protection. Nevertheless, there wasn’t a job for him outdoors of particular groups so regardless that he was the one undrafted rookie to make the ultimate roster, he was inactive for six of the primary seven video games and made simply 11 complete appearances. Brade additionally noticed minimal taking part in time on protection with simply 11 in comparison with 207 on particular groups and recorded three complete tackles together with one solo.

I do know it’s slightly tough to see jersey numbers in a few of these clips however if you wish to know the place Beau Brade (24) is simply search for an opposing participant on the bottom or the place they’re getting tackled.

Bodily and bout that motion. pic.twitter.com/kqIFuwkQ29

— MC (@abukari) October 18, 2024