Ravens DC Highlights Key Starters in Secondary

Great coaching also helps great players live up to and maximize their full potential, and Orr made sure to acknowledge his fellow assistants on head coach John Harbaugh's staff for getting Hamilton mentally equipped to handle the diverse role he plays in the Ravens defense. Both senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Chuck Pagano and defensive backs coach Donald D'Alesio joined the staff during the offseason and have been key to improving the secondary as a whole.

"Those guys prepare him great in the meeting room, so it's not really challenging for me," Orr said. "I'm just like, 'Hey Kyle, can you handle this?' And he says, 'Yes, I'm good.' That's all I need to hear, and he goes out there and executes it. So, hats off to him. It's remarkable what he's able to do for us."

Surrounded By High Football IQ

While Hamilton is the star and smooth face of the Ravens' defensive backfield, he is far from the only player in it worthy of praise for his high football IQ and integral role in the success of the unit as a whole. Veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie is flying under the radar but is having a very strong season and Orr spoke highly of him as well.

"He is a technician [and] he's really smart," Orr said. "We're glad we have him. He's a real student of the game, so he's in the room talking about route concepts, splits [and] releases. He's constantly talking to the DBs and the defense about what we can anticipate and what coverage we're in."

After watching former starting cornerback Brandon Stephens be in great coverage on almost every play last season, but struggle to consistently find and make plays on the ball, the Ravens don't have that problem with Awuzie. A prime example of this ability was the late clutch pass breakup of what would've been a game-tying touchdown in the Ravens' Week 11 road over the Cleveland Browns.

"The ability for him to play the ball down the field – that's what stood out to us, specifically, watching him when he was a free agent; he never panics when the ball's in the air," Orr said. "That play right there, I'm telling you ... [Among] some of the best of the best in the world, 99 percent of those guys are going to get a PI [defensive pass interference] called on him. The play 'Chido' made, that's one of the best plays I've personally seen as a pass breakup."

This marks Awuzie's second stint in the AFC North after spending three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2021-2023. Not only has he been an underrated signing and one of the best bargain bin veteran additions of the offseason, according to Pro Football Focus, but he has the second-best coverage grade among cornerbacks in the entire league and is the third-ranked player overall at the position.

"He's really good for our room, and he's been steady for us the whole year," Orr said. "Now, for some reason, the last couple of weeks, teams have been challenging him, and I'm glad that now the world can start to see his true talent, his true ability, because now, he's getting an opportunity to make plays on the football, and he's been able to do that for us."

Can Ravens have too much of a good thing?

Hamilton is at his best and most disruptive when playing closer to the line of scrimmage. But it can take a physical toll if he's constantly being used as a de facto SAM outside linebacker, setting the edge in the run game and taking on offensive guards and tackles who often weigh over 100 pounds more than him. Per NFL Pro, he has taken 205 snaps at free safety, 132 at linebacker, 114 in the slot, 79 on the edge, 19 at cornerback, 14 at defensive tackle and one at strong safety this season.

There's almost nothing the fourth-year pro can't do on the football field aside from maybe beating a double or triple team lined up at one-technique. When asked if its tempting or difficult to not overuse his dynamic defensive chess piece in so many different roles, Orr admitted that it 'definitely' is at times.

"The biggest thing is he is still human, and you want to let him go out there and go play fast," Orr said. "We're definitely mindful of that, and there are a lot more things that we would like to do, but you have to build up to that. Like I said, he's done a great job, and we just continually slowly add more to his plate. He already has a lot on his plate, and I just think that the way the system is built, the way that the coaches coach ,and the way that the players prepare, it allows him to go out there and play multiple positions, because we teach it in concepts, so as long as he understands the concepts, he'll be able to do a lot of different things for us."

With the emergence of other versatile defensive players line Trenton Simpson and the further acclimation of veteran in-season trade acquisition Dre'Mont Jones, the Ravens won't have to use Hamilton as much on the edge because they are being consistently disruptive as well, lining up at different spots along the front seven.