The Baltimore Ravens gave Chidobe Awuzie a one-year, $5 million contract to stick around this past offseason. Seven games into 2026, and he’s been a ghost on Jesse Minter’s defense. The veteran cornerback is barely playing, and in the snaps he’s gotten, he hasn’t made much of an impact.
The decision to re-sign him is looking really bad.
Awuzie’s contract is fully guaranteed. The $5 million he’s making in 2026 is the seventh-highest cap hit on Baltimore’s defense. You would think that guy would at least be part of the rotation, but not only does it look like Minter’s scheme doesn’t favor him getting involved much, but he’s done little to warrant more reps.
The organization is effectively burning that $5 million.
Baltimore Ravens are wasting money with Chidobe Awuzie
Based on his 2025 performance, Chidobe Awuzie certainly deserved the deal he got. He was arguably the Ravens’ best corner that year, and retaining a player with 86 career starts seemed like a smart call. A CB3 of that caliber is usually great rotational depth.
The issue is: Jesse Minter's defense isn’t favoring Awuzie. He runs mostly three-safety sets, and unlike last year, Marlon Humphrey plays on the boundary opposite of Nate Wiggins. And in the slot, Baltimore is leaning on Keyon Martin and Chandler Rivers.
Awuzie played just seven snaps over the first two weeks, and even after Minter noted he had to find ways to get the veteran more opportunities, that hasn’t happened consistently.
Here’s a look at Awuzie’s snap count through the first seven weeks of the 2026 campaign.
WEEK | SNAP COUNT |
|---|---|
Week 1 | 6 snaps |
Week 2 | 1 snap |
Week 3 | 15 snaps |
Week 4 | 55 snaps |
Week 5 | 2 snaps |
Week 6 | 3 snaps |
Week 7 | 2 snaps |
Evidently, that effort to get Awuzie out there more often lasted just two weeks. And that Week 4 outing against the Tennessee Titans is a major outlier, as Marlon Humphrey left that game early with a calf injury.
Awuzie is right back at square one. He made slight progress, but has slipped to where he was in the season opener.
Now, this isn’t just a scheme problem. If Awuzie was playing well enough, I’m sure Minter would put him out there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Awuzie’s play inspires much confidence.
In his 84 defensive snaps this season, Awuzie has posted a 57.2 overall grade and 54.8 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus. He’s allowed five receptions in limited chances. He might not be the player to fix the secondary issues.
But it might get to the point where Minter should try to put Awuzie back on the field in a larger capacity. With the way the defense just performed in Week 7, it’s worth toying with lineups and schemes to get the best group out there.
Obviously Humphrey and Wiggins should remain the top boundary corners, but there are openings for Awuzie in a rotational role, or even in the slot. He has the experience and versatility; if he can get comfortable on Minter’s defense, he could help.
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