First-round rookie safety Malaki Starks was thrown into the deep end this season, stepping in as an every-down starter in his first game.
That's a tall order, even for a player as talented and smart as Starks, who the Ravens selected with the 27th-overall pick out of Georgia.
But Starks also has high expectations for himself, and he's not satisfied with how the start of his NFL career has gone. Through five games, he has yet to break up a pass and has 34 tackles.
Of 36 NFL safeties who have played at least 80% of their team's defensive snaps, Starks ranks No. 28 in the league, per Pro Football Focus grades.
"I don't pay attention to stats or whatever. As long as the play gets made, it gets made," Starks said. "But I think my biggest thing is just trusting myself, trusting what I see, trusting what I feel, and just going out there and playing and having fun."
Starks was asked specifically if he feels like he's being too tentative.
"Yeah, just sometimes like I'll see something and it'll be like a split second where I think about it," Starks said. "There is no time for that in football. Just when you see it, you go. I think that's what I just want to get to."
The Ravens added two safeties on Tuesday with the trade for Alohi Gilman and practice squad signing of veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has 18 interceptions in seven seasons.
"It's awesome, especially for me as a rookie, just really learning from guys who have so much experience," Starks said. "How they view the game of football and just that older presence in the room, you can never complain about that."
John Harbaugh Talks Odafe Oweh Trade, Envisions Immediate Contributions From New Safeties
The Ravens' trade of outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Gilman (and a Day 3 draft pick swap) came together quickly, Head Coach John Harbaugh said. He hadn't even talked to his brother, Jim, about it before the deal was done between Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta and former Ravens front office leader turned Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz.
"We had a chance to consider it in terms of what was best [in the] big picture for our team, for our defense [with] all the pieces together moving together; trying to build the best defense we can for the rest of the season," Harbaugh said.
For the Ravens, it's a chance to get three safeties on the field more often and maximize their versatility. Kyle Hamilton (groin) returned to practice Wednesday, a sign that he could return to action Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. Either way, Harbaugh said he expects Gilman could also play despite the quick turnaround.
"Alohi, he's going to give us a lot," Harbaugh said. "He's a veteran safety. He was in a very similar system. He's a proven player. He had a really good practice today. I think he's a good fit for us right now in what we're looking for."
Harbaugh also raved about Gardner-Johnson. He said Baltimore was working on making that move happen for a while after Gardner-Johnson was released by the Houston Texans after three games.
"I've always liked the way he played," Harbaugh said. "He brings it. He's a 'bring it' attitude guy. He's a physical player, [has] a lot of juice and a lot of energy. [He's] a veteran guy who knows how to play the game."
Harbaugh also said he didn't think it would take Gardner-Johnson long to get caught up on the defensive scheme. He can be activated from the practice squad up to three times.
"He's smart," Harbaugh said. "He knows the game, and he had a good day today, so those are conversations we'll be having."
Ravens Pass Rushers React to Oweh Trade
The Ravens are looking to get more sacks after logging just six through the first five games, and now they'll have to do it without the player who had the second-most sacks (10) on the team last season.
Oweh didn't have any sacks yet this year, and the Ravens felt trading him was worth it to improve the defense holistically, but it does mean more will fall on the plate of Baltimore's existing outside linebackers: Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green, and David Ojabo.
Van Noy missed two games due to a hamstring injury but returned Sunday against the Texans and notched one of Baltimore's two sacks on C.J. Stroud.
"It is a shake-up when you lose a player like 'Dafe' – a good football player," Van Noy said. "I think he's going to excel with the Chargers and hopefully he does."
Tavius Robinson was already playing 70% of the Ravens' defensive snaps while Oweh was on the field for 45%. Green could also see a bump in action, though he's already played 60% or more of the defensive snaps since Week 2.
"I think the urgency is going to be a little bit more, of course, just because it's one less guy," Green said. "But I've been ready since I got here, and it's been a pleasure to be playing as a rookie so fast, and I'm just going to continue to build. Stats and everything, they're going to come eventually. I just have to continue to do what the coaches are asking me to do."
Harbaugh and teammates said they hope Oweh does well in Los Angeles. The Ravens and Chargers aren't scheduled to play each other during the regular season.
"In some ways, [it's] what's possibly best for the player, too, for Odafe and [for him to] go out there in his contract year and have a chance to make a statement maybe," Harbaugh said. "I think that's good for him."
Rashod Bateman Explains Bad-Looking Interception
The Ravens were already losing 44-10 more than midway through the fourth quarter Sunday against the Texans, but their final interception put salt in the wound.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush tried to go deep to Rashod Bateman down the sideline, but Bateman slowed up, and the pass was intercepted by Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
Bateman pulled up on the play while Lassiter kept going to make the play. On Monday, Harbaugh said Bateman needed to keep running through the ball. Two days later, Bateman explained what happened.
"When I looked up for the ball, it wasn't there. I looked down and I thought he threw it away," Bateman said. "It was too late by the time I tried to catch up to the ball. I apologize for what it looked like to the fans. It wasn't a give-up on the ball. If anything, I wanted to do more to help this team win games."
