The Ravens lost their preseason opener, but the shoulder injury to rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins was a bigger concern.
Losing 16-13 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Friday night's preseason opener won't be something that the Ravens dwell on. The Eagles prevailed on a 49-yard field goal by Jake Elliott as time expired, but as expected, most of the starters on both teams didn't play.
However, the injury to Wiggins could leave the Ravens more shorthanded in the secondary, with slot corner Arthur Maulet (knee) on the injured list, veteran Trayvon Mullen out, and rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa still on the PUP list.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason opener:
Nate Wiggins Sparkles Prior to Injuring Shoulder
First-round cornerback Nate Wiggins made a statement, forcing incompletions on three passes on the opening drive, showing his potential to have an immediate impact on the Ravens' secondary as a 20-year-old rookie.
However, early in the third quarter, Wiggins injured his shoulder making a tackle and went to the locker room and did not return. The Ravens will hope for the best while Wiggins undergoes further tests.
"I don't really have any updates on anybody's status right now," Head Coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "We'll find out more tomorrow when he gets tested."
Before he was injured, Wiggins put his talent on display. Three different Eagles receivers tested him early – Johnny Wilson, John Ross, and Joseph Ngata. All were denied by Wiggins. He deflected a sideline pass intended for Wilson, ran stride for stride with Ross on a deep pass, and blanketed Ngata on fourth down to force an incompletion.
After each play, Wiggins celebrated and seemed to talk a little trash to the Eagles' sideline. Philadelphia quarterback Kenny Pickett was determined to test the rookie, and Wiggins passed with flying colors.
Wiggins' night wasn't perfect. During Philadelphia's second series, he finally gave up his first completion to Ross on an out pattern. Then on Pickett's 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Will Shipley, there appeared to be a miscommunication on defense that left Shipley wide open. After the play, Wiggins and Ar'Darius Washington were among the players discussing what happened.
However, Wiggins bounced back to break up another pass on Philadelphia's next possession. Wiggins showed the Ravens what they wanted to see, and they'll hope he's back in action soon.
Pepe Williams Is Showing His Value
Knowing this would be an important summer for him, Pepe Williams has risen to the occasion.
The third-year cornerback registered Baltimore's first sack of the night on a well-timed blitz. Williams got a great jump and found an alley that led directly to Pickett, who folded to the turf and accepted the sack.
Williams had three tackles in the first half, and he also had a decisive 18-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. There's plenty of talent in Baltimore's secondary, but Williams backed up a solid week of practice with a strong showing in the preseason opener, contributing on defense and special teams.
Trenton Simpson Gets Good Preseason Work
It was a busy night for inside linebacker Trenton Simpson, who is entering the starting lineup in his second season to replace departed Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen.
A long night of action during the preseason is work that Simpson can use. He only played 46 defensive snaps in the entire 2023 season, and most of them came in Week 18 after Baltimore had already clinched the best record in the AFC.
Simpson has been one of the most physical players in training camp, and teammates and coaches rave about how much time he puts into film study. However, there's no substitute for game reps. This wasn't the regular season, but it was action that Simpson can use to sharpen his skills for Week 1.
The Battle for No. 3 Running Back Still Looks Interesting
Owen Wright (seven carries, 33 yards) and rookie Rasheen Ali (10 carries, 26 yards) both got a chance to play as they compete for the No. 3 running back spot behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. Neither Henry nor Hill played, and Wright felt he took a step forward.
"It's huge, getting these reps and everything, especially on special teams," Wright said. "I'm just trying to be in places where I can help the team out the most and sacrifice and do all that stuff. It's huge, especially in the preseason, just showing what you can do, and how you can display your talents anywhere and your abilities."
Andrew Vorhees, Daniel Faalele Take Another Step Forward
Vorhees (left guard) and Faalele (right guard) were in the starting lineup and continued to look like favorites to start Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Veteran Patrick Mekari started at right tackle, but rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten also got snaps with the first unit.
The Ravens may continue to rotate Mekari and Rosengarten once the regular season begins, giving Rosengarten more time to develop and easing the burden on both players. However, with two preseason games remaining, Harbaugh said he wanted to evaluate the game tape before assessing how the offensive line played.
"I thought [the offensive line was] pretty solid," Harbaugh said. "I'd like to see us run the ball a little bit better – [with] a little more consistently than we did. Pass protection seemed OK for the most part, so that's all I know right now."
EXTRA POINTS:
- Rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (stinger) went to the ground after a hard collision making a tackle on Eagles wide receiver Jacob Harris. Kane was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play and was taken into the medical tent and did not return.
- On fourth-and-two, undrafted rookie wide receiver Dayton Wade made a nice spin move for an 11-yard gain, picking up a key first down on Baltimore's fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Wade is one of several young wide receivers battling for a roster spot.
- Ben Cleveland started at center and remains a contender to be the backup at that position behind Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum. "My main focus tonight was to snap the ball first," Cleveland said. "Make sure I had good snaps and make sure we could get the play started."
- Josh Johnson played the first half at quarterback for the Ravens and threw for 62 yards, while Devin Leary (6-for-10, 37 yards) played almost the entire second half. Emory Jones only played one snap and lost the ball on a strip sack fumble to set up Elliott's game-winning field goal.
