Wiggins taking next step

[tsylvester]

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens secondary coach Chuck Pagano didn’t wait for the play to officially end. As cornerback Nate Wiggins headed upfield, setting up his blocks along the way, following an interception of an overthrown pass during Friday’s organized team activity, Pagano broke out the celebratory dance moves on the sideline.

The 64-year-old coach shuffled up and down and waved his right arm in the air as if he were riding an imaginary horse. It doesn’t take much to get Pagano going, but the sight of Wiggins securing the football and using his speed to race toward the end zone was enough to get anybody associated with the Ravens excited.

Wiggins, a first-round pick in 2024, had a strong rookie season. He played in all but two games, broke up 13 passes and held quarterbacks to a 66.7 passer rating when they targeted him. Wiggins allowed just 31 receptions on 62 targets, forced a key fumble in Dallas and had a pick six in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Yet, it was hard for Ravens coaches this offseason not to think about how much better Wiggins could get when he became a little stronger and had a better grasp of the fundamentals of the cornerback position and how offenses were attacking him.

“Last year, he was just running like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to figure out what to do,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said last week. “Now, he understands the system. He understands the defense. He’s been in the league for a year, so he understands formations from offenses. Now, he can really just hone in on his technique. Man, that guy right there, he takes his technique to another level on a consistent basis. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Wiggins, who had an interception and a pass breakup in the Ravens’ last OTA on Friday, is off to a solid start this offseason. He’s added 10 pounds after prioritizing getting bigger and stronger. Possessing a better understanding of the position, he’s playing with more decisiveness and confidence. And he no longer has to wonder about his role on a week-to-week basis.

The Ravens, influenced partly by health issues for Wiggins in the first half of the season, somewhat eased the rookie in. He played more than 75 percent of the team’s defensive snaps just twice over Baltimore’s first 10 games. But those days are over. He’ll enter the 2025 season as a starting outside corner and one of the Ravens’ core defenders. He says he’s ready for that.

 

“Last season, I didn’t feel like I was really a pro yet,” Wiggins said Friday. “Now, I’m knowing how to be a pro. I feel like now it’s going to pay off.”

The Ravens lost some key pieces from last year’s defense, which started agonizingly slow but turned things around and was playing at a high level by season’s end.

Nose tackle Michael Pierce retired. Starting cornerback Brandon Stephens departed to the New York Jets in free agency. Malik Harrison and Chris Board, part of the linebacker rotation, signed elsewhere. Baltimore’s cornerback depth thinned out with veterans Tre’Davious White and Arthur Maulet not returning. Safety Ar’Darius Washington, whose ascension into the starting lineup was a catalyst for the defensive turnaround, tore his Achilles during a May workout and will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6410680/2025/06/09/ravens-nate-wiggins-organized-team-activities/

[oldno82]

Wiggins is the real deal.

[tsylvester]

Wiggins, Tampa, Starks, Hamilton, yeah, and nice secondary forming for a few years

[oldno82]

When Pagano gets excited, I'm excited.