The Baltimore Ravens ruled Jaylinn Hawkins out for Week 10. He’s nearing a return from his knee injury, but it won’t come on Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. That means Keondre Jackson still has a window of opportunity open.
That window is clearly closing, though. Jesse Minter offered encouraging updates about Hawkins getting closer to returning, and the 29-year-old logged three straight limited practices this week. He’s on the verge of suiting up again … he’s just not ready yet.
Jackson must finally take advantage of the reps being handed to him once and for all. He hasn’t done enough, and time is running out for him to earn a legitimate role on defense when Hawkins is healthy. That can change with a strong performance on Monday Night Football.
Keondre Jackson must give the Baltimore Ravens a reason to keep him in the defensive rotation in Week 10
The Ravens shouldn’t be happy with their safeties outside Kyle Hamilton in 2026. Malaki Starks has gone through a twister of ups and downs, and when healthy, Hawkins has been a liability with a 119.7 passer rating allowed. They’re desperate to figure things out.
And while Hawkins hasn’t played like someone who deserves to be thrown back into the starting defense when he’s healthy, Jackson isn’t doing much to steal that spot.
In the three games without Hawkins, Jackson was given one start and 58 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, though, he has an abysmal 37.8 overall grade.
Struggles were expected from Jackson. He’s a 2025 undrafted free agent, getting his first real regular-season action. However, he isn't reliable in coverage right now.
Jackson has been targeted three times, allowing 2 receptions, 32 yards, 1 touchdown, and a 141.7 passer rating when targeted. That touchdown came in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was beaten to the corner of the end zone by Mike Gesicki.
On the bright side, Jackson is looking like a solid run defender and tackler. He’s posted a 73.2 run defense grade per Pro Football Focus, made 9 total tackles, and hasn’t missed one. For a defense that’s struggled with tackling consistency, that’s a positive sign.
If Jackson can run with that, he may offer the Ravens a glimmer of hope at safety. He was everything possible in the offseason, and the coaching staff raved about him coming into the 2026 campaign.
Notably, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver couldn’t say enough about the 24-year-old back in August.
“From the first day I was here in the spring, and where he is now, he’s probably in the running for [the] most improved,” Weaver said. “Right now, if we had to play a game tomorrow, and he had to go out there and play for us, I have a tremendous amount of trust that he can get his job done.”
Clearly that hasn’t translated in the regular season yet, but with more time, we could see Jackson start to turn a corner. Is that coming in Week 10?
It needs to if Jackson wants to keep getting snaps. Regardless of how you feel about his play this year, Hawkins will almost certainly be back on the starting unit when he’s healthy. But with the defensive troubles, maybe Jesse Minter gives Jackson a shot in a rotational role if he steps up against the Chargers.
At 4-5, the Ravens need to regroup and look like a completely different team in the second half. That may include Jackson if he can be at his best on both special teams and defense because we know Starks and Hawkins haven’t gotten it done.
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