It is no secret that Baltimore Ravens first-round pick Malaki Starks has struggled in his rookie year. He is not alone in that case, though, as Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr’s unit as a whole has been horrific in 2025. Still, many were expecting Starks to take strides early on despite having the rookie tag, but that has not been the case.
Starks has made the typical rookie mistakes thus far; he has taken bad angles in run support, has had occasional lapses in coverage, and is clearly taking time to adjust to the pace of the NFL. His 56.2 grade, per Pro Football Focus, is one of the worst among safeties, but there is reason to believe he could turn it all around soon.
After Baltimore’s latest flurry of moves, we could start to see Starks take those steps to the next level. On Tuesday, General Manager Eric DeCosta beefed up the safety room, adding veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad and acquiring Alohi Gilman from the Los Angeles Chargers in the Odafe Oweh trade.
Veteran teammates can change the way rookies approach the game. While Starks already had veterans to lean on in the locker room, DeCosta’s moves add two veteran safeties who Starks will likely play alongside in the coming weeks.
Starks is ready to learn from Gardner-Johnson and Gilman, and in his press conference on Wednesday, he spoke about the kind of impact the two newest Ravens can have on this team.
“It’s awesome, especially for me as a rookie, just learning from guys with so much experience,” Starks said. “I got a chance today to talk to both of them about how they view the game of football…It always brings a new type of energy to the room.”
Baltimore’s newest additions could unlock Malaki Starks’ full potential
Similar to Kyle Hamilton, Starks possesses the versatility to roam all around the field. The additions of Gardner-Johnson and Gilman will likely move Hamilton to that Swiss Army Knife role, but it should open up endless possibilities for Starks, as well. There should be a variety of schemes to throw at opposing offenses, and Starks should be able to use his versatility, as well.
There should also be benefits for Starks from playing next to a veteran who is almost strictly a safety in Gilman, instead of a player like Hamilton, who is wearing a number of different hats on defense. He should settle in on the backend alongside Gardner-Johnson and Gilman, while the rest of the defense reaps the rewards of having versatility all over the unit.