Honestly, I was surprised to see the Baltimore Ravens sign veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins on Monday. Maybe I shouldn't be given the embarrassing defensive performance on Sunday and Eric DeCosta's affinity for safeties. However, one bright spot from Sunday's game was K'Von Wallace; he recorded four tackles and was wreaking havoc across the field.
Wallace showed some of his inexperience in the second half, but was generally promising on Sunday. Keondre Jackson is another safety who has shown some promise in limited opportunities. The Ravens could use some safety support, with both Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins disappointing. Still, I always figured further empowering these players (particularly Wallace) seemed like a better lever to pull, and in general the Ravens already have solid safety depth.
And frankly, even after this signing, Jenkins shouldn't cut into Wallace's opportunities. Not only am I curious to see what Wallace can do with a bigger role, but Jenkins has struggled recently, especially in his last stop with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season.
In fairness, Minter said that Jenkins is a practice squad move. As such, he shouldn't take away from the young players. Regardless, if he's elevated on game day, Minter can't lean on his experience, especially if it comes at the expense of Wallace.
K'Von Wallace should clearly be ahead of Rayshawn Jenkins in the Baltimore Ravens' pecking order
With Hawkins dealing with an injury, it's possible that Jenkins gets elevated. The Ravens haven't been afraid to utilize recently elevated players. Heck, Wallace was elevated in Week 3, and while he didn't play in that game, he slowly leveled up onto the 53-man roster.
As noted earlier, Jenkins has struggled recently. More specifically, he has posted a 31.8 PFF grade in six games with the Steelers. Furthermore, he's given up five receptions on five targets. The Steelers marked his fourth team in four years, and they quickly parted ways with him. At 32, this feels like the end of the road for Jenkins. Simply put, there's a reason he was available. As a practice squad move for depth, Jenkins is perfectly fine.
Coaches love to lean on experience, though, and Jenkins has 93 career starts. Thus, it's not impossible that Jenkins looks decent in practice, gets elevated, and earns some snaps. That would be a mistake, though, especially given how Wallace looked on Sunday. Wallace plays with a contagious level of energy and has solid versatility.
The Ravens have been missing energy, and his versatility makes him an ideal fit in Minter's scheme. Hopefully, we'll see more from him, because there's a solid chance he can handle a scaled-up role. Conversely, there's no upside with Jenkins, and recent evidence suggests that he doesn't have anything left in the tank.
Fortunately, as things stand, Jenkins seems unlikely to cut into Wallace's snaps. Things can change in a hurry, though, and the Ravens would be wise to avoid giving Jenkins any meaningful snaps.
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