Nate Wiggins' rise gives Ravens' leaky secondary one less headache

The Baltimore Ravens need someone not named Kyle Hamilton to step up in their secondary. It’s been a brutal past two weeks, especially late in games. Thankfully, Nate Wiggins is becoming a difference-maker at corner.

When you’re facing CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, you’re bound to give up big plays. And Wiggins had his flaws in Baltimore’s Week 3 win—he was extremely underwhelming in the tackling department. However, he held his own in pass coverage, allowing 6 receptions for 50 yards to the top-tier duo, while limiting explosive plays.

That’s a lot of receptions and a good chunk of yards, but this is Lamb and Pickens we’re talking about.

The biggest indicator that Wiggins is on the rise? His mentality. On the Dallas Cowboys’ final drive, Wiggins was flagged for this highly questionable pass interference call.

In response, he clamped down on Pickens and forced a field goal.

It really looks like Wiggins is becoming a guy the Ravens can trust on the outside.

Baltimore Ravens watched Nate Wiggins take another step in Week 3

Iron sharpens iron. For the Ravens secondary, it was always going to be a painful matchup squaring off against Dallas’ passing attack, but it was an opportunity for growth. Nate Wiggins certainly took advantage of that.

Wiggins proved he can duke it out with some of the best wide receivers the NFL has to offer, and his competitive edge is what makes him truly different. In that late-game scenario, he had the exact memory you want your cornerbacks to have, forgetting about the pass interference and using it as fuel to lock down Pickens on the final two plays.

On Wednesday, Wiggins went as far as to say that was the best game he’s had in the NFL from a competitive standpoint.

It’s showing in the numbers, too. Through three weeks, Wiggins has earned a 71.4 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. That ranks 16th among qualifying corners, and his 73.0 coverage grade ranks 15th.

He's also preventing separation at a very high rate. You can see his name in the top right of this graphic below, surrounded by elite names like Christian Gonzalez, Quinyon Mitchell, and Kamari Lassiter.

This is a far cry from where Wiggins was last year. I wouldn’t say he was awful in 2025, but a poor scheme put him in a spot where he gave up the second-most yards in coverage. He wasn’t allowed to shine as the aggressive corner he is, instead lining up 10-plus yards off the line of scrimmage constantly.

Under Jesse Minter, though, Wiggins has flashed those physical traits time and time again. Don’t let his slimmer stature fool you; he’s a massive threat in press-man, and that’s really where he’s at his best. You’ll usually see it on full display in the red zone.

Hopefully, as this defense continues to adjust, Minter will continue to give Wiggins more and more press opportunities. Because if he can keep applying tight coverage like he did this past Sunday, a legitimate breakout could be coming.

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