[Baltimore Sun] Coach John Harbaugh thinks Ravens might have found ‘formula’ at safety
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After 10 weeks of throwing different looks at the wall and seeing what works, the Ravens’ secondary might have found their formula: pairing safeties Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington.
“That was the plan going in, those two guys,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday afternoon. “We were trying to attack some issues that we had in the back end, as everybody knows, and I thought they played well back there.”
The dark cloud hanging over the Ravens’ defense much of the season has been their NFL-worst pass coverage. While they’re still 32nd in yards allowed and 31st in passing touchdowns surrendered (22), their secondary was among the highlights from Sunday’s 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh.
Together, playing nearly every snap, the duo of Hamilton and Washington gave up only three catches on as many targets for 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus. They combined for 21 total tackles.
Hamilton, when healthy, hasn’t missed a beat.
The 2023 All-Pro appeared to play through pain on Sunday. He crumpled to the field with an ankle injury against the Bengals on Nov. 7 that limited him in practice last week. Then he was checked for a concussion and soon after returned in the first half Sunday. And in the fourth quarter against the Steelers, Hamilton appeared to aggravate his ankle but remained on the field and finished with 10 tackles.
Washington, a 2021 undrafted free agent, has played nearly half the defensive snaps and a little less on special teams after playing no more than seven snaps the first two weeks of the year. He didn’t play more than 40 snaps until Week 7. On Sunday, he played more snaps than any Ravens defender with 77.
“Ar’Darius earned that opportunity,” Harbaugh said. “He earned that chance by the way he practiced and also by the way he played when he was in there over the course of the season.”
Opposite Hamilton and before what might be Washington’s spot to hold, Baltimore worked through a rotating cast. Marcus Williams was the Week 1 starter but in Week 8 Baltimore benched the 28-year-old safety who signed a five-year, $70 million deal in 2022 in favor of Washington and Eddie Jackson. Harbaugh kept any specifics of the decision close to the vest.
A week later, Williams returned to his starting post, Washington picked off Broncos quarterback Bo Nix for the first takeaway of his career and Jackson was a healthy scratch. Then Jackson played sparingly against Cincinnati, while Williams and Washington split reps.
The intrigue didn’t stop there.
Jackson did not travel with the team this week to Pittsburgh — Harbaugh declined to comment on the matter — and Williams did not see the field. Meanwhile, rookie safety Sanoussi Kane sustained an ankle injury and left the stadium in a boot and on crutches.
Ravens cornerbacks might be on the precipice of similar shuffling. Arthur Maulet suffered a calf injury in practice last week and was out Sunday, though Harbaugh doesn’t anticipate the veteran needing a stint on injured reserve. Trade deadline acquisition Tre’Davious White is still getting acquainted with the playbook but logged two pass deflections (including one in the end zone) in 24 snaps, mostly in place of Brandon Stephens. White could feasibly get an expanded role, Harbaugh said.
Baltimore’s secondary appears to be thinning in safeties healthy or trustworthy enough to play significant reps but, for now, the pairing of Hamilton and Washington might be the answer they’ve been seeking.
“Those guys did a good job,” Harbaugh said. “So that will definitely be a formula going forward. And still, the guys that are here with us, are still going to be working doing whatever they can to help us win.”
Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.
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