Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Keyon Martin (38) reacts after recording a safety against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Ravens Rookie DB Named Among Biggest Preseason Finale Winners

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The final third matchup of the preseason is next to a formality for some teams, already having a good idea of which former training camp invites won't be renewed for the start of the regular season. Teams need to cut their roster down to the 53-man maximum quickly, already possessing a decent sample size of scrimmages and games to base their data off of.

By Week 3, teams have already taken out any player that even diehard fans have heard of, giving unproven prospects and low-leverage free agents their potential final rides on an NFL roster. This is the sort of situation in which the right undrafted rookies can thrive in by demonstrating their resemblance to impact NFL players, and that's exactly what Keyon Martin did over the weekend.

The cornerback, who went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft despite the Baltimore Ravens passing over him 11 times, shined in a 30-3 win over the Washington Commanders for the squad's final officiated outing before the regular season's debut.

While recent hits to several deep-cut wide receivers looked to have diminished their pool of undrafted talent, Martin made a strong case for himself as someone worth keeping for the final roster. Bleacher Report certainly considered him an ascending asset, listing him as one of the week's biggest winners.

"He keeps making big plays, and that's something that is accounted for, for sure," head coach John Harbaugh said, per Branson Brooks of the Ravens official site. "I think he played sound as well; he did things the right way. He's played just like that [throughout] the whole camp."

"The same applies to Saturday's effort, where Martin made five tackles—two of which were for a loss—defended a pass and snatched a pick-six," Brent Sobleski wrote. "He registered a safety earlier in the preseason, consistently demonstrating his range and coverage skills."

The Commanders didn't exactly trot out their best arms, with Jayden Daniels taking a comfortable seat on the sideline, but Martin still looked like he'd fit in well with the Ravens' deep cornerback room.

The top of the depth chart is dominated by star names and highly-touted prospects, with Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander heavily expected to each receive regular appearances on top receiver threats alongside free agent signee Chidobe Awuzie.

Their assortment of pass defenders make for arguably the league's best secondary, let alone the most talented position group in Baltimore, granting Martin with the chance to learn from the best should he survive final roster cuts.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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