Chandler Rivers could cement his growing role in Ravens' defense vs. Titans

Chandler Rivers is rising into a substantial role on the Baltimore Ravens’ defense. After being a healthy scratch in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he’s been active for two straight weeks. In both games, he saw a good amount of reps.

Rivers went from 0 snaps in Week 1 to 24 in Week 2 to 32 in Week 3. He’s become their go-to backup in nickel packages, a spot it looked like Keyon Martin had on lock to kick off the year. Since the first game of the season, though, Martin has seen just one defensive snap.

It’s becoming clear Rivers is taking over. If he sees a similar snap share versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, that role could have his name etched into it.

Chandler Rivers is becoming a consistent rotational corner in the Baltimore Ravens' defense

Chandler Rivers has a fairly high ceiling. He may have been a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but from the exact moment the pick was announced, he was celebrated as one of the biggest steals of the seven-round event. The Ravens have clearly seen enough of it in practice to put him in a consistent role early in the season.

Rivers’ 24 snaps in Week 2 were good for 35% of possible snaps on defense, and his 32 in Week 3 jumped to 43% of total defensive snaps. Baltimore’s trust in the rookie corner seems to be growing.

Against the New Orleans Saints, Rivers looked to be a bright spot on the rise. He showed up in his NFL debut. Specifically, his ability to fire downhill and make tackles flashed the most.

He doesn’t look like it when he's making plays like those, but that’s a 5-foot-9, 185-pound cornerback. Sometimes, the competitive edge and motor win, and that’s what Rivers has.

Now, Rivers looks like a rookie out there at times. His 50.3 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus, ranks 78th among corners, and he’s allowed 6 receptions on 8 targets across two appearances thus far.

He hasn’t been perfect, but an 89.1 passer rating shows enough talent for the Ravens to believe in him. That’s reasonably productive for someone who was picked in the fifth round.

Rivers is also far from the biggest issue on the Ravens’ defense. The safety duo of Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins has been the biggest issue in the secondary, and the tackling is becoming an overwhelming problem. Rivers, meanwhile, has shown he can stay in phase against crafty route runners and tackle in space.

Baltimore will still want to see more from Rivers. Keyon Martin is way too young, hungry, and talented to give in to this battle this early.

However, if Rivers sees a similar snap share in Week 4 and performs at an encouraging level, that could be the nail in the coffin. And against a lackluster Titans offense, that’s a feasible performance for Rivers to reach on Sunday.

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