Jesse Minter has found another weapon in Anthony Weaver, who could serve as Baltimore’s No. 3 safety, after the Ravens agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with former Patriots safety Jaylin Hawkins. Hawkins rose to prominence at Buena Park High School, where he played wide receiver and defensive back.
main goal
Baltimore will primarily play three safeties, and Hawkins will team up with Kyle Hamilton and Malachi Starks to give the Ravens the most versatile and athletic trio at the position.
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Hawkins is a playmaker
Last season, Hawkins performed well for the Patriots, contributing 71 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a team-high 4 interceptions. The 28-year-old started all 15 games he played last season and completed 836 defensive snaps, the second-highest total of his career. In his second year with the Patriots, Hawkins proved himself to be a vital part of the secondary, leading the team in interceptions and ranking fourth in passes defended.
Deep safety is interchangeable
With Hamilton playing closer to the line, the Ravens will need a depth safety like Hawkins, who ranked fourth among safeties with four interceptions last season. Hawkins’ biggest problem is 13 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. This is where the Starks equation comes in. Starks, a 2025 first-round pick out of Georgia, started 15 of 17 games this season and compiled 1,060 defensive snaps (11th), 84 tackles (49 solo) and four passes defensed, including two interceptions. Starks finished his rookie season with the third-most interceptions and fourth-most total interceptions on the Ravens defense.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: How NFL free agent Jaylin Hawkins could fit in with Ravens
