OTL: Will Clemson Boys Be a Bigger Part of Ravens D?

With this weekend’s matchup with the Raiders looming, let’s see what can help lead the Ravens to their first win of 2024.

One big positive would be the emergence of two young Clemson players who need more playing time:

Zach Orr said Trenton Simpson is going to play more and more as the season goes on. Same for Nate Wiggins.

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 12, 2024

Trenton Simpson did play around 70% of the snaps in last Thursday’s loss, but one of the main talking points among fans is that Simpson and Nate Wiggins didn’t play enough, and they need to play more.

Simpson’s 70% of snaps are OK for his first game as a true starter. He looked explosive and made some plays, but yes, he needs to see the field more going forward. Another thing is that I don’t think Malik Harrison played all that poorly. Of course, the one lousy rep from him on a huge Isaiah Pacheco play doesn’t look good when Simpson is making his own highlights. Simpson should and will play more, but he will not be on the field for every snap, and we will all be interested to see how Zach Orr‘s rotation unfolds.

Now, Wiggins’ situation is a little different. There’s been some grumbling about his usage because other teams are playing their rookie cornerbacks much more than the Ravens played Wiggins.

One major difference that I see is that Wiggins is part of a loaded and deep cornerback room, while those other guys are on teams that are forced to rely on the rookies immediately. It’s necessity in many cases, not choice.

Right now, the DBs are healthy, and as a result, Wiggins can get his feet wet as a depth piece. That’s great news, but as we Ravens fans know, health on the back end of the defense is a very fickle mistress. Fingers crossed that Wiggins isn’t pressed into more duty any time soon.

On that note…

Ravens injury report
DNP: OLB Kyle Van Noy (eye); CB Nate Wiggins (neck)
LIMITED: OLB Adisa Isaac (hamstring)
FULL: ILB Roquan Smith (shoulder)

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 12, 2024

Wiggins didn’t practice on Monday either, but he did on Wednesday, and wasn’t on the injury report at all that day. He must have aggravated something, unfortunately. We’ll see what his official game status is later today…

Still, the Ravens don’t necessarily need him right now, as I thought the secondary played great against the Chiefs. The only issues was the big blown coverage, but that will take time and reps to clean up, not talent.

Moving on to an interesting note around the league…

From our Week 2 buzz file: Multiple league execs believe the #Jets will eventually need to explore flipping Haason Reddick via trade as the contract impasse has no end in sight.

‘Not sure they have a choice.’ https://t.co/VfwOSyS4Mj pic.twitter.com/f9v0xutgCH

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 12, 2024

The Jets and EDGE Haason Reddick have reached an impasse. With the injuries to Kyle Van Noy and Adisa Issac already putting the Ravens’ EDGE depth on thin ice, Reddick would be a monster addition. I didn’t think he was the best version of himself last year, so is primed for a bounce-back. The obvious issue is the money.

Reddick seems set on getting his deal before he steps on the field. This is a problem for the cap-strapped Ravens, who would probably want Reddick to play without a new deal.

This is an issue if Reddick doesn’t want to play without a new deal. Maybe the Ravens could squeeze him in. Yes, they did the same with Roquan, but Smith was willing to play.

If Reddick isn’t willing to play, and by all accounts, he isn’t, then the fit with the Ravens isn’t there.

Maybe his true issue is with the Jets themselves, and the Ravens can convince Reddick to play without a deal? That is what happened to Jalen Ramsey when he was with the Jags, but I have no idea if a similar solution would be possible here.

Something to monitor, at least.

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