This past offseason, one of the most underrated signings appeared to be Chidobe Awuzie. The Baltimore Ravens got their most consistent corner back in the fray on a one-year, $5 million contract. Two weeks in, though, and somehow he’s become a backup in a very limited role.
It’s a real head-scratcher. Awuzie saw six snaps in Week 1, and in Baltimore’s disastrous loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, he saw just one. It’s raising the question: what the heck is going on?
I get that the Ravens are running mostly three-safety looks, and with Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey on the boundary, Awuzie wasn’t going to start. But not being in the rotation? That seems odd.
Re-signing him is looking like a waste.
Baltimore Ravens’ decision to re-sign Chidobe Awuzie is looking questionable
If the Ravens defense was on an absolute roll, Chidobe Awuzie’s usage wouldn’t be a talking point. But here we are. The defense had some inconsistent moments in Week 1, and in Week 2, the unit folded in an embarrassing fourth quarter, where they were outscored 15-0.
The secondary was a big part of those issues on Sunday. Specifically, safeties Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins had an incredibly rough outing. Their coverage mistakes and missed tackles played a big part in the Ravens’ downfall.
Of course, the new coaching staff might not have the same plans for Awuzie as John Harbaugh did. Jesse Minter clearly values versatility and has an infatuation with using Starks and Hawkins in the back-end, and allowing Hamilton to roam free wherever needed.
In that case, though, why sign him? He needs to have a bigger opportunity.
To get Awuzie on the field, if the coaching staff feels it’d be an improvement, there are a few options.
In dime packages, the defense could put Marlon Humphrey back in the slot and give Awuzie opportunities on the boundary. Currently, they’ve used Keyon Martin and Chandler Rivers in that spot; having a group that includes Nate Wiggins, Humphrey, Hamilton, Starks, Hawkins, and Awuzie could be a way more talented secondary.
And outside of dime looks, pushing Hamilton back into a high safety spot and moving Humphrey to the slot at times could be the answer to get the defense and Awuzie going. We’ve seen that Hamilton can fix problems wherever he goes, and Awuzie was too good last year to barely play in 2026.
Or simply, just rotate Awuzie into the defense at times. He doesn’t need 20+ snaps, but when you paid him $5 million to return to Charm City, he deserves more than seven total snaps through two games.
It’s certainly possible Awuzie has regressed. He’s 31 years old and has been relentlessly bitten by the injury bug throughout his career. Maybe he didn’t show enough throughout the offseason to warrant reps. Regardless, the decision to re-up his contract is looking odder by the day.
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