Five hours before the Ravens kicked off the 2026 season against the Indianapolis Colts, Marlon Humphrey was already in the locker room.
Most of Humphrey's teammates had not even had breakfast. But Humphrey's hunger to win was stronger than his appetite for food.
That sense of urgency carried over into the game. Humphrey forced a fumble, made four tackles, and had one pass breakup during the Ravens' 41-23 victory. He earned the highest coverage grade from Pro Football Focus among all NFL cornerbacks in Week 1.
It was an "All-Pro Marlo" type of performance, a retort to anyone who questions whether the 30-year-old Humphrey can still perform at a high level. Dating back to last season, Humphrey has three interceptions and one fumble over his last five games. That's about the time he started showing up early for games, a ritual he doesn't plan to stop.
"I'm not going to say I'm superstitious, but I'm a little superstitious," Humphrey said.
Humphrey enjoys the quiet solitude in the locker room before players begin to arrive. He also appreciates watching the hard work done by the Ravens' equipment staff to prepare for the players' arrival.
"When we come into the stadium, everything's all done up and neat," Humphrey said. "It's crazy to see all the other surrounding staff doing their job. It makes me kind of have the mindset … it takes a whole unit to make this thing flow."
Minter made it clear during the summer that Humphrey would be an important chess piece in Baltimore's defense. The way Minter disguises defenses and deploys the secondary allows players to help each other in coverage if they work together and stay connected. Humphrey is one of the NFL's most physical corners, and his ability to make tackles near the line of scrimmage, blitz, or drop into coverage fits into a scheme that thrives off versatile players.
Humphrey has 23 career interceptions and 18 forced fumbles. His aggressive nose for the football is a trait that Minter loves. It was on display again in Week 1 when Humphrey ripped at Jonathan Taylor's fingers to pry the ball loose and set up Baltimore's third touchdown of the afternoon
"That's all that guy does is force turnovers, and his career numbers back it up," Minter said. "He's been doing it year in and year out.
"I saw when I was here the first time, the one year he had like 10 forced fumbles. That play by Marlon is the epitome of 'let's attack the football,' especially when we have a guy wrapped up and the tackle is pretty secure. Let's hunt the football."
Baltimore's “White Noise” home opener against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. will be the Ravens' first chance to defend home turf at M&T Bank Stadium under Minter. Winning at home has become a point of emphasis following a 2025 season in which Baltimore went 3-6 at home, the worst record in franchise history.
According to Humphrey, Minter began Wednesday's team meeting talking about protecting home turf.
"We need to give our fans something to be really excited about," Minter said. "We want them to be really loud, especially when we are on defense and those third downs and red-zone areas, which I know they will be."
The Saints have a potent aerial attack with offensive-minded Head Coach Kellen Moore, second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, who leads the NFL with 410 passing yards, and wide receiver Chris Olave, who leads in receptions (10) and receiving yards (182).
Humphrey and cornerback Nate Wiggins are playing at a high level. Their matchups against Olave will be fun to watch, and keeping him in check will be a top priority for Baltimore.
"Putting a cap on Olave is kind of where it starts," Humphrey said. "If you can kind of hold him to the lower side of receptions and yards, then you have a good chance.
"That is how we started the meeting today with Coach Minter. As a guy that has been here for 9-10 years, that was one thing that was at the top of my list that stuck out last year. There are people that have been season ticket holders for a long time. Coming to the stadium — you really want to win in front of our fans."
Now in his 10th year (all in Baltimore), Humphrey believes this team has the talent to do special things. But during the long season, Humphrey has learned it's dangerous to look too far ahead. This week, he's focusing on the Saints, and Sunday he'll be ready to game day – early.
"I read over my goals every day, a couple times a day sometimes," Humphrey said. " I am trying to get to that flow state where you are not really thinking about much and just playing ball.
"As one of the coaches said, if you see me head-slapping early in the game, that is usually a good sign. I am trying to get to that state as early as I can in the game and just play good football."
