Malaki Starks' rough Week 2 raises questions about his true potential

Not many members of the Baltimore Ravens covered themselves in glory during the team's 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. However, second-year safety Malaki Starks played especially poorly. Heading into this season, it was easy to have high hopes for the 2025 first-round pick. Starks' rookie season was solid, and under Jesse Minter's system, it was fair to expect he'd be ready to take the next step.

Sadly, he's been wildly underwhelming to start this season, especially on Sunday. Starks missed several tackles and often botched coverage. Here's an example of him being caught in no man's land and giving up a touchdown to Chris Olave.

In a seven-point game where the Ravens' defense collapsed in the fourth quarter, Starks' inability to control the back end of the field was a key factor. Of course, the whole loss doesn't fall on him, as poor coaching, o-line play, and inconsistent pressure were all factors. Again, though, his play stuck out like a sore thumb. And with how poorly Starks has played, he simply might not have high-end safety upside, like the Ravens thought when they drafted him.

Overall, Starks has posted an abysmal 33.8 PFF coverage grade, which ranks 82nd out of 84 qualifying safeties. Granted, PFF grades sometimes don't tell the full story, but in this case it backs up the eye test. Despite his struggles, Starks has played in every snap of the season. At some point, you have to wonder about his role, both in the immediate sense and in the future.

Malaki Starks' ability to be an impact player should be questioned

Look, I want to say that the Ravens should just give him time to develop. But the reality is that Starks has looked like a genuine liability through two weeks. Dating back to his rookie season, he showed some flashes of being a high-end ball-hawk, grabbing two interceptions. Still, he wasn't especially stout in coverage or at manning the back end of the field, and he's regressed so far this year under an improved system.

A safety having so many mental lapses is a red flag. While he's still young, this flaw could lower his ceiling if he doesn't quickly show signs of improvement.

The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations. They can't wait for a young player to develop.

Starks is the clear weak link of the Ravens' defense right now, and he is causing major issues for their pass defense. After what he put forward on Sunday, teams will surely start making it a priority to expose him going forward.

Now, taking someone who's played every snap and gluing them to the bench isn't realistic. Nevertheless, it's reasonable to say that his role should be reduced to some extent. Thankfully, the Ravens have the league's most versatile defender in Kyle Hamilton.

Currently, Hamilton is serving in a versatile DB role. Perhaps the Ravens need him to man the back of the field, though, and could explore changing either Starks' or Jaylinn Hawkins' role. Of course, there would be some trade-offs and risks with this change. Still, if the Ravens' backfield defense is this poor and Hamilton could stabilize it, I think it would be worth exploring.

The Ravens made this shift back in 2024, and he helped transform a struggling defense. I don't expect this change to happen next week, but if Starks' struggles persist, these conversations will have to ramp up.

In any event, though, there's a ton of doubt around Starks' long-term upside and overall impact after such an awful start to the season.

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