Jessie Minter’s in full damage control mode after a disastrous second game in charge of the Baltimore Ravens, and the rookie head coach’s first job is to defend a starter who endured a “rough” outing against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, a performance that prompted one observer to exclaim, “yikes.”
Minter stood up for second-year safety Malaki Starks the day after the Ravens were beaten 24-17 at M&T Bank Stadium. Starks was guilty of more than one coverage bust on Sunday, September 20, but Minter came out swinging in defence of the 2025 NFL draft first-round pick.
The coach attempted to explained Starks’ issues by admitting, “Honestly, I think we’re all chasing things a little bit. Really need to figure out what is our identity on defense as far as what we’re trying to do. That’s my job. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Minter concluded with a message to Starks: “I have a lot of confidence in Malaki Starks. I have confidence that he’ll bounce back and become the player that we know he can.”
This positive reinforcement provides some insight into how Minter will react to Ravens’ players struggling. The coach should be commended for not calling out a below-par youngster publicly. Especially when Minter’s already on the receiving end of personal criticism.
Behind the scenes, Minter can’t ignore Starks’ lowlights against the Saints. Particularly with the 22-year-old preparing to face the Dallas Cowboys’ and star receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, when the Ravens make their historic trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in Week 3.
Malaki Starks Not the Only Ravens’ DB to Struggle in Week 2
Starks needs to get back on track, but he’s not the only problem for the Ravens’ defense. His fellow safety Jaylinn Hawkins “wasn’t great, either,” according to The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker.
The latter linked Hawkins’ dud efforts with a “yikes day for” Starks. Their collective struggles on the back end meant the “Saints made having the ball for … checks notes … 12:09 in the fourth look easy with no pressure and mostly easy completions,” per Wacker.
This isn’t what Minter’s defense is supposed to look like. He got the top job with the Ravens on the strength of his expertise on this side of the ball, following successful spells as defensive coordinator at Michigan and for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Stable deep coverage is usually a hallmark of Minter’s defense, but the structure crumbled in just the second game of the season. Saints’ wide receiver Chris Olave routinely got vertical between the numbers and made the kind of catches Minter’s schemes are supposed to prevent.
The Ravens weren’t supposed to get burned so easily after signing one of the hidden gems of 2026 free agency. Starks isn’t meant to flounder this much during a season predicted to end with individual honors.
Minter and his safeties need to have some frank conversations about their issues along the last line of the Ravens’ defense.
Jesse Minter Taking ‘Honest’ Approach to Fix Defense
Those conversations will involve some brutal honesty during film study. Hawkins told Wacker’s colleague Sam Cohn, “Minter’s message postgame was to watch the film and ‘tell the truth.'”
Some of those truths might make Hawkins and Starks uncomfortable. Both are guilty of taking bad angles and making slower than expected reads.
Minter can’t indulge either of those failings in a defense designed around a ton of rotations in coverage. He needs smart, athletic deep safeties to make the whole thing work.
Perhaps Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver take a back-to-basics approach. A few simple zone shells and spot drops would surely help a young player like Starks, who’s allowed a 158.3 passer rating and 12.6 yards per reception through two games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Another remedy for those numbers might involve the Ravens shifting Starks into the box. Changing his role, while dropping All-Pro Kyle Hamilton deep, where he’s thrived in the past, would repair a three-safety set that’s supposed to be the strength of the Ravens’ defense, but is instead becoming its fatal flaw.
Jesse Minter Defends Ravens’ Starter After ‘Yikes’ Performance