Ravens Youngster Emerging as Strong Backup Safety Candidate

After seemingly solving their problem at safety by drafting former Georgia star Malaki Starks, the Baltimore Ravens were seemingly sent right back to square one when Ar'Darius Washington tore his Achilles last month. Now, Starks and All-Pro Kyle Hamilton are the expected starters with little depth behind them, essentially the exact same situation that Washington and Hamilton found themselves in last year.

At least, that's what it looks like from the outside.

The Ravens have two other returning safeties on their roster in Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade, who both managed to make the roster as rookies last season despite being a seventh-round pick and undrafted free agent, respectively. Despite playing mostly on special teams as rookies, they're now competing for the chance to be the team's No. 3 safety, though one of them seems to have the edge.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Kane has emerged as a strong candidate for the role after a solid performance throughout OTAs.

"Of the in-house options, Kane may make the most sense," Zrebiec wrote. "A core special-teamer last year, Kane looks to have leaned up this offseason and was around the football a good amount during OTAs. It would also be foolish to count out Brade, an undrafted free agent last year who looked the part when given opportunities to play in the preseason. Brade sustained an ankle injury last week, but he should be ready by training camp."

The "in-house options" part is key, as Zrebiec also noted that the Ravens could opt to bring in a veteran to add extra depth at the position.

"It’s possible the team’s No. 3 safety in September isn’t currently on the roster," Zrebiec wrote. "There are quite a few free-agent safeties still available, including Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon and Quandre Diggs. Washington’s injury — he will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season — has left the Ravens thin at the position. It’s also possible they envision a natural corner, such as [Chidobe] Awuzie or [Jalyn] Armour-Davis, stepping into that role, particularly if Baltimore signs another cornerback in the coming weeks."

Even if the Ravens go down that route, however, Kane should still have a chance to establish himself on defense. That's exactly what Washington did last year after free agent addition Eddie Jackson (and Marcus Williams) flopped, and he helped turn the entire defense around in the second half of the season.