Ravens Shuffle Secondary Amidst Injuries

The Baltimore Ravens will be shorthanded in the secondary this weekend.

Jon Alfano | Oct 26, 2024

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In this story:

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have dealt with a mountain of injuries at cornerback far too often in recent years, and while they're not quite there yet, it's definitely not a great situation.

On Saturday, just before their Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens announced a major shakeup at cornerback. Most notably, rookie Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) did not travel with the team to Cleveland. The first-round pick was limited in practice on Friday.

On Saturday, we activated CB Jalyn Armour-Davis from Injured Reserve/Designated for Return and elevated CB Ryan “Bump” Cooper Jr. from the practice squad (standard elevation).

We also placed CB T.J. Tampa (ankle) on Injured Reserve.

CB Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) is not…
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 26, 2024

However, Baltimore hasn't ruled Wiggins out yet, so he could play if he finds alternative transportation. Even then, though, it's likely he won't take on his usual work load. He played a career-high 68 defensive snaps in Monday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaking of rookies, the Ravens placed fourth-round pick T.J. Tampa (ankle) on injured reserve. The Iowa State product already missed the start of his rookie season with a core muscle injury, and now misses at least four more games. He's played just eight snaps on defense in four games, as well as 92 on special teams.

In better news, the Ravens have officially activated third-year proJalyn Armour-Davis from injured reserve. He suffered a hamstring injury late in Baltimore's Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and missed the next four games as a result. With so many moving pieces in the secondary, the Alabama product could see quite a bit of action on Sunday.

Finally, the Ravens elevated undrafted rookie Bump Cooper from the practice squad, meaning he will make his NFL debut against Cleveland. Last season at Oregon State, Cooper had 82 total tackles, eight passes defended and one interception. As a practice squad elevation, he's likely to play more on special teams than anything, but could see some action on defense as well.

It will be interesting to see how the revamped secondary shapes up on Sunday, especially with Marlon Humphrey already doubtful due to injury.

UPDATE: Wiggins has now been ruled out for Sunday's game.

CB Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) has been downgraded to “out” and will not travel to Cleveland for tomorrow’s game.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 26, 2024