Ravens Holding Their Breath As Top Corner Nate Wiggins Carted Off From Practice

Wiggins carries some of the heaviest expectations on this defense and is the first real injury scare of head coach Jesse Minter's first came in charge

Sep 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) returns an interception during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of all the young players on the Ravens roster, few are carrying higher immediate expectations than top corner Nate Wiggins. And he provided the first major injury scare of Jesse Minter’s first training camp as a head coach on Tuesday.

Wiggins tangled with rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in a one-on-one drill and had to be carted off the field with what for now is an undisclosed injury. Anytime a player of this stature is unable to finish a camp practice it’s a big deal, and leaving on a cart is never a great sign, either.

Minter, who took over for John Harbaugh after a nearly 20 year run as head coach in Baltimore, offered few details after practice as the Ravens medical team gathers more information about the extent of the injury. Wiggins was already not going to play in Saturday’s preseason game as one of the team’s key players.

Minter agreed there “was not a whole lot there” in the interaction with Lane, though Wiggins did fall to the ground. “One of those plays,  really not much between those guys,” as the coach explained it.

“I think there is optimism,” Minter said, “but, again, we’ll look at it and see where it’s at.”

Getting Healthy

The setback, if significant, comes at a time when the Ravens just activated defensive tackle Travis Jones from the Physically Unable to Perform list, getting the defense back to full health save for a few young players still coming back from surgery (most notable linebacker Teddye Buchanan).

Wiggins, a first round pick two years ago, has a rough second half to the season, but nearly as rough as veteran Marlon Humphrey, who was one of the most successfully picked on starting corners in the NFL. Humphrey has had a rough go of it so far this summer, saying the staff rightfully called his play “trash” at times, and we suspect he was likely headed to the slot more fulltime.

Veteran Chidobe Awuzie was brought back on a less free agent deal after a great 2025 season – one of few standouts on one of the worst defenses in the NFL – but injuries have been an issue for his as well and keeping him on a pitch count makes sense. The Ravens have some young corners dealing with injuries as well.

The expectation is Wiggins will get his hands on the football more in this zone-based scheme, with Minter’s defenses with the Chargers top three in interception rate the last two seasons. Wiggins is sticky in coverage but all the defensive backs were exposed last season with no pass rush and an over-reliance on Cover-1 and Cover-0.

The secondary has long been an area where general manager Eric DeCosta invests most heavily, and Minter expressed confidence in the overall group Tuesday.

“I feel really good about where were at overall,” he said.

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