Ravens' Safeties Ranked As League's Best
The Ravens lost two accomplished safeties in free agency in Alohi Gilman and Ar'Darius Washington, yet the position remains one of the team's biggest strengths.
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano identified the best team at each position post-free agency, and the Ravens got the nod at safety.
It all starts, of course, with Kyle Hamilton, one of the most impactful and versatile defenders in the league.
"The Ravens have the best safety in the game and are loaded at the position," Manzano wrote. "Last year, Baltimore paired All-Pro Kyle Hamilton with 2025 first-round pick Malaki Starks. The team now has a strong trio of safeties after the free-agent addition of Jaylinn Hawkins, who helped the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl last season.
"New coach Jesse Minter has always favored three safeties in his rotation and now has the right pieces to produce a dominant defense in Year 1 in Baltimore."
Minter made it clear during his media session at the NFL owners meeting this week that he's looking forward to working with the talented trio.
"Jaylinn is a great player, and I think he and Malaki will operate really well together," Minter said. "I think that'll allow us to do a lot of cool things with Kyle. And I was telling Kyle the other day, [with] those three guys on the field together, it's going to be fun to come up with things to utilize those three guys."
Hamilton, Two Ex-Ravens Are Highest-Paid Players at Their Positions
Speaking of Hamilton, Verderame looked at the highest-paid player at each position, and unsurprisingly, and deservedly, Hamilton is the market-setter for safeties.
"Drafted No. 14 in 2022, Hamilton has quickly become one of the league's best players," Verderame wrote. "A three-time All-Pro, the former Notre Dame standout was given a $100.4 million deal over four seasons, kicking in next season. While the safety position is deep in talent, it's tough to see anybody eclipsing Hamilton's money in the next few years."
Former Ravens Tyler Linderbaum and Jordan Stout cashed in this offseason to become the top earners at center and punter, respectively.
"Few contracts are genuinely stunning, but what the Raiders signed Linderbaum to certainly qualifies," Verderame wrote. "Las Vegas essentially gave Linderbaum a fully guaranteed $81 million deal over three years, blowing past the previous top contract for a center, which was four years and $72 million for Kansas City's Creed Humphrey. It'll be quite some time before someone eclipses Linderbaum's deal.
"Stout reset the market this offseason, jumping from the Ravens to the Giants to join forces with Coach John Harbaugh. At $4.1 million, Stout is coming off a first-team All-Pro campaign in which he averaged 50.1 yards per punt with 24 kicks landing inside the 20-yard line."
Two Sleeper Breakout Candidates for the Ravens
Outside linebacker Mike Green and Starks are frequently mentioned as players poised for a breakout season after they showed flashes last year as rookies. Baltimore Beatdown’s Frank Platko had two additional players on his list of breakout candidates: fourth-year inside linebacker Trenton Simpson and third-year right tackle Roger Rosengarten.
"[Simpson] began last season as a starter but was quickly usurped by rookie Teddye Buchanan," Platko wrote. "When the latter suffered a torn ACL late in the season, Simpson returned to the starting lineup alongside Roquan Smith. Simpson is a natural elite athlete at the position and still possesses the size and speed combination to be a good defender. His limited playing time has more so been [due] to inconsistencies with processing and making plays in space.
"The hope for a delayed breakout season lies in his raw natural abilities and the potential he can thrive in the Ravens' new defensive scheme. The new defensive coaching staff may be able to get the best out of Simpson and maximize his untapped potential. Furthermore, with Buchanan likely to miss time as he recovers from his ACL injury, a defensive role is there for Simpson to grasp and hold onto."
Regarding Rosengarten, Platko wrote: "The presence of incoming new Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Dwayne Ledford, widely regarded as a top player-developer among his peers, could help Rosengarten become an elite right tackle. Another positive factor is that he'll likely be playing next to veteran John Simpson now, who should be an upgrade at right guard."
