He played multiple positions in Week 1, but Kyle Hamilton knows where he’d prefer to line up for the Baltimore Ravens. Hamilton revealed as much with candid remarks about the role he played as a sort of “Swiss Army Knife” during the 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
New Ravens’ head coach Jesse Minter made good on a more flexible plan to get Hamilton involved closer to the line of scrimmage. It meant the All-Pro was a key part of the Ravens’ pressure packages at Lucas Oil Stadium, but Hamilton revealed a drawback to all that blitzing.
He told reporters, including The Baltimore Banner’s Sam Cohn, “Uhh, [blitzing] is fun. You feel it on Monday. It’s always fun to try and get after the quarterback … Eventually in my career I feel like safety is where I’ll settle in my rocking chair but for now, I’m happy to go around playing a bunch of different positions.”
It’s not surprising Hamilton envisages his future on the back end. He’s one of the best safeties of the NFL’s modern era.
The Ravens have benefitted from playing Hamilton deep in the recent past, but for now, Minter and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver have other ideas. Those plans kept Hamilton busier than most during the season-opener.
Kyle Hamilton Performed Chameleon Act in Week 1
Hamilton was a true hybrid superstar against the Colts. He took snaps at almost every spot across the front seven, per information from Next Gen Stats and The Next Network’s Josh Berman.
This Chameleon-like usage of Hamilton’s skill-set made sense. He’s long been a safety in name only as a crossover athlete who can play deep, line up in the slot or drop down into the box.
The Ravens can use those traits to make Hamilton a matchup equalizer week to week, but it’s interesting he sees his best role differently. Especially since Hamilton was the catalyst for a defensive revival during the 2024 season, after former Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh moved him to deep safety.
Minter has different ideas, but Hamilton is determined to set higher standards for the Ravens’ defense, no matter where he plays.
Ravens Setting Higher Standards Defensively
He more than did his part against the Colts, but Hamilton was less than satisfied with how the Ravens’ defense performed in Week 1. The 25-year-old graded the unit “C-plus. I think there is a lot of improvement. I think the turnovers saved a lot of it. There were good parts, [and] there were bad parts. C’s get degrees,” per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“If I had to grade our performance as a defense today, I would say C-plus. I think there is a lot of improvement. I think the turnovers saved a lot of it. There were
Hamilton might’ve been talking about the late fourth-quarter touchdown the Ravens surrendered to Colts’ tight end Tyler Warren that made the score look more respectable than it should. Either way, Hamilton’s strong take shows he still has something to prove, despite a record-setting contract and three Pro-Bowl berths to his credit.
Minter approved of Hamilton’s backhanded praise. The rookie head coach admitted, “We can play a lot better in the red zone. We’re chasing the best version of us. We need to keep that game under 17, 16, 15 points. We let them off the hook in the red zone,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Star players like Hamilton raising expectations is how the Ravens get better defensively after ranking 18th in points and 24th in yards last season. Perhaps the process can begin with Hamilton getting more work in his preferred position to help close out games.
Kyle Hamilton Speaks Out About Ravens’ Role After Week 1