Ravens' stifling Week 1 defense flashes Nate Wiggins' next step

Nate Wiggins is expected to be the future of the Baltimore Ravens’ secondary. No one is questioning Baltimore's safeties in 2026; that’s a truly elite group. They need more out of their cornerbacks, though, and they saw a CB1-worthy performance from Nate Wiggins in Week 1.

2 targets. 0 receptions. Statement made.

Wiggins kept his side of the boundary quiet in Baltimore’s 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Sure, the unit struggled to contain Jonathan Taylor, but the passing defense was clamping down on Indianapolis’ wide receivers.

Daniel Jones went 19-for-31, throwing for 166 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also posted an underwhelming 72.8 passer rating. Simply put, he couldn’t do much against the Ravens’ secondary.

With Wiggins playing at such a high level on Sunday, is this a sign that the 23-year-old is developing into the CB1 this team needs?

Baltimore Ravens saw major strides from Nate Wiggins in Week 1

After a horrendous 2025 showing where Nate Wiggins allowed the second-most yards in coverage in the NFL, many offseason storylines were tracking his development. Could he reach the heights Baltimore envisioned for him when they selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft? If Week 1 is any indication, then yes.

At face value, Wiggins’ stats on Sunday looked terrific. Holding the Colts to 0 receptions on 2 targets is a major sign of a lockdown corner in the making. That includes this pass breakup, which was clean as can be.

That’s textbook defense.

It looks even better looking at the bigger picture, though. According to Next Gen Stats, Wiggins was the only corner in Week 1 with at least 25 coverage snaps to allow 0 receptions. He played 34 coverage snaps.

Wiggins practically made whatever Colts wide receiver he covered on each down a ghost. His blend of athleticism and physicality helped him stay hip-to-hip all day, and Daniel Jones very rarely had a clean window to get one by Wiggins.

This fast start to 2026 shouldn’t really come as too big of a shock.

It all starts with the defensive coaching change for the Ravens. They went from Zach Orr calling defense, who always seemed to play his corners 10+ yards off the line of scrimmage, to head coach Jesse Minter calling the defense. That shift was always going to favor the entire defense, but most importantly, the secondary.

In two seasons as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, Minter’s group never allowed more than 206.9 passing yards per game. The year before coming back to Charm City, they allowed the fifth-fewest yards through the air with a masterful 179.9 passing yards per game.

You could say the Ravens needed that type of guy in the building. In comparison, their passing defense tied for the second-worst mark in the league with 247.9 passing yards per game in 2025.

Wiggins was always capable of this, too. In his rookie campaign, he flashed like a bright star in the making. He finished that season with 1 interception (a pick-six), 13 pass breakups, and a 72.6 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. He had himself a sophomore slump last year, but it’s becoming clear all he needed may have been a change in coaching.

Hopefully this is just the start for Wiggins. To be fair, Indianapolis’ wide receiver room isn’t anything incredible, and Alec Pierce was dealing with a heel injury.

Still, it was an incredible performance nonetheless, and he’ll have his shot to truly make a name for himself in Week 2. It’s fair to expect he’ll draw plenty of matchups with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave in that one. If Wiggins keeps taking these strides toward the All-Pro form he hopes to reach, it should be a great battle.

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