Marlon Humphrey, Zach Orr name 'stabilizer' of Ravens' defense

After fielding one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL early in the 2024 season, it’s clear the Baltimore Ravens needed to make a change.

Marcus Williams went to the bench despite owning one of the biggest contracts on the team, Tre’Davious White was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams to shore up the outside cornerback spot, and Kyle Hamilton, the Ravens’ All-Pro slot cornerback, was kicked back to safety full time, the position many expected him to play full-time at the NFL level before he became an unlikely star in a hybrid role under former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Discussing the final move and how both Marlon Humphrey and Zach Orr have called the decision to move Hamilton to safety as a “stabilizing” force for the team’s defensive efforts during his long Week 17 media session, John Harbaugh credited the Notre Dame product for consistently helping his team no matter what has been asked of him in 2024.

“[It’s] so beneficial. It’s a great word for it. [Kyle Hamilton] is a premier … The great players probably can do two things: they can do pretty much everything in football in their area, and they make everybody around them better. I really do think Kyle has grown into one of those kind of players. It’s expressed itself the last two years, but really in this year, and in the last month, it’s really expressed itself,” Harbaugh told reporters.

“Because you might think in terms of, ‘Well, he’s a box guy. He’s [a] close to the line of scrimmage type of a player,’ which he is, and maybe he was even viewed that way coming out in the draft. But yet, he played deep [safety] well at Notre Dame, and we always thought he could do it, but you say, ‘OK, well this is our best player in the back end, maybe, and certainly one of the best players in the league at safety. And our issues are deep, so let’s put him back there.’ And he goes back there and seamlessly makes a big difference. That’s probably a good measuring stick for a great player.”

Originally compared to Kam Chancler coming out of college, fans expected Hamilton to become an elite back seven-player, able to split the difference between a traditional safety and a weakside linebacker in the box. While his slot 40 time coming out of South Bend unquestionably contributed to his slip down the draft board from a top-5 selection to the 14th overall selection. And yet, right out of the gate, Hamilton proved himself one of the better coverage players in the NFL, ranking 19th among safeties in 2022, fourth among safeties in coverage in 2023, and fifth among safeties in 2024 according to PFF.

Whether playing safety or slot cornerback, or an amalgamation of the two, “The Stabilizer” is a pretty good nickname for the Notre Dame product, as he’s done just that to the Ravens’ secondary since being drafted and especially in 2024. If the Ravens made noise in the playoffs, it’s safe to say Hamilton played a big role in their success.