Ravens’ early 22-man starter projection omits safety Chuck Clark
By Kristen Wong
The Baltimore Ravens have a stacked secondary unit in 2022, and it’ll be interesting to see who Mike Macdonald opts to start in the defensive backfield come Week 1 of the season.
Cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey will probably start out wide while Brandon Stephens could win a starting spot in the slot.
The team has a bit of a logjam at safety, though — one NFL pundit has Baltimore choosing rookie Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams, notably omitting defensive captain Chuck Clark.
We’ve previously written about the possibility of Clark, Hamilton, and Williams all playing at the same time, which could put Clark in more of a linebacker coverage role than a true safety.
If the Ravens don’t want to tinker with their defensive scheme too much, though, Hamilton and Williams project to be the starters in 2022.
Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey listed 22-man starter projections for every NFL team and noted that Clark would likely serve as depth in this uber-talented Ravens squad:
"“The Ravens’ secondary is loaded with high-end talent, which is part of what makes that unit so interesting. They have, at least, three starting-caliber safeties in Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton and Chuck Clark.There’s been some talk about the possibility of Clark being traded after Baltimore spent a significant amount of resources on both Williams and Hamilton, but he would give them some versatility alongside those two if he stays.”"
The Ravens have plenty of elite options in their defense in 2022
Having too many studs on defense usually isn’t a problem — until players start complaining about playing time. Chuck Clark is used to being a regular starter, and the Hamilton draft pick directly threatens his spot on the roster. That much is certain.
Whether Clark is truly unhappy and wants out of Baltimore remains to be seen, but fingers crossed Baltimore can make all three of their star safeties happy this season.
Another Ravens rookie, ‘Bama corner Jalyn Armour-Davis, may not earn a starting role but will definitely share rotational duties with Humphrey on the outside; rookie Damarion Williams will likely rotate with 2021 third-round pick Brandon Stephens in the slot.
All in all, Baltimore has no reason to be worried about the state of its pass defense this year as the team has acquired not only depth but elite starting-caliber players at each position.
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Practice squad secondary no more, the Ravens mean business in 2022.