The Baltimore Ravens brought in another body on defense after Sunday’s abysmal showing. They signed Rayshawn Jenkins to their practice squad on Monday to add depth to a safety room that’s had problems all year. But Jenkins might bring even more questions.
Baltimore needs safety help. The only guy at that position who’s played well is Kyle Hamilton, and he works all over the field. On the other hand, starters Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins have tripped over themselves.
The thing is, Jenkins could be even worse. Yes, he’s only a practice squad addition — depth is important. However, he’s playing like someone who shouldn’t touch the field at all. His 2026 campaign has been nothing short of poor.
Baltimore Ravens' Rayshawn Jenkins move does little to inspire confidence
Rayshawn Jenkins’ career is on a downward spiral. Since the Jacksonville Jaguars released him in 2024, he’s bounced around and is now on his fifth team in four years. The Ravens join a list that includes the Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
His most recent stint with the Steelers lasted six games in 2026. He was signed in August and released on October 21. To say he played poorly would put it lightly.
Jenkins was a disaster in the Steel City. Offenses picked on him, and his Pro Football Focus grades are about as bad as they can get.
CATEGORY | GRADE |
|---|---|
Overall Grade | 31.8 |
Run Defense Grade | 45.6 |
Tackling Grade | 47.6 |
Coverage Grade | 37.7 |
His stats look even worse. On 5 targets, he’s given up 5 receptions, 120 yards, and 1 touchdown. That’s a perfect 158.3 passer rating allowed. And as a tackler, he’s posted 3 missed tackles for a 15% missed-tackle rate.
Between blown coverages, taking bad angles, and being a step slow to react, Jenkins wasn’t playing well.
All that was done in four games with defensive snaps. He handled about 37 snaps per game over Pittsburgh’s first three matchups, but his snap share shrunk to just 13 in Week 4, and a special teams-only role in Week 5 and Week 6.
You can easily see why his reps decreased in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns. It was bad.
I'm hardly trolling when I say I think I could have played as well as Rayshawn Jenkins in Week 4.
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) October 2, 2026
The Steelers' safety was almost devoid of any positive plays and was a major liability. He never saw another snap after the 9:00 mark in the 2nd quarter.
There's a reason for that. pic.twitter.com/HZYgd8Kd0D
Jenkins shouldn’t be trusted with anything more than a practice squad spot in Charm City. He likely comes in as depth with Jaylinn Hawkins being injured, but he’s not playing at a level that warrants a game-day elevation. Hopefully the Ravens won't need to rely on him.
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