The Baltimore Ravens are already seeing the major drawback that comes with veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The two-time Pro Bowler, who struggled to stay healthy for most of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers, is already battling injury problems with the Ravens. The Louisville product has missed some time due to a nagging knee injury that head coach John Harbaugh doesn’t believe is serious — yet.
“(Alexander) had something, just to kind of take care of that knee,” Harbaugh told reporters after Ravens practice coming out of the team’s second preseason game. “And then you do some things to kind of help it, from a healthy standpoint. It’s something he’s been dealing with for a few years now, so it’s not anything we didn’t expect, probably, that might have been something to help, but you have to take a couple of days after you do that before you can practice.”
Injury Issues Nothing New for Jaire Alexander
Harbaugh seemed to believe Alexander would be ready for the season opener against Buffalo.
However, at this point, it’s probably unwise to bank on Alexander for too much, at least until he can prove otherwise.
The Packers drafted Alexander in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and at times, he looked like one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Green Bay even felt compelled to give him a four-year, $84 million extension in 2022. Even by then, Alexander had missed some games over his first four seasons, playing just four games in the 2021 season. He was fantastic for the Packers in 2022, but he played just 14 combined games between 2024 and 2025.
That, paired with some growing contention between the player and front office, prompted the Packers to release Alexander in the spring before he signed on with the Ravens on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million.
It was a low-risk move for Baltimore at that number, but the Ravens are already seeing the frustrating part about employing Alexander. His skill is second to none, but that doesn’t do much good on the sideline. Maybe he’ll be able to put it behind him once the regular season rolls around, but as Harbaugh even acknowledged, this issue has lingered for the 28-year-old.
Ravens’ Secondary Depth Already Being Tested
On paper, Baltimore has one of the best secondaries in the game, but that’s banking on a lot of health. ESPN’s Mike Clay even made Baltimore his No. 1 cornerbacks group in his positional group rankings — with the obvious caveat.
Baltimore then went from ‘solid’ to ‘great’ when it signed Jaire Alexander in June,” he wrote for ESPN.com. “Alexander struggled with injuries during his time in Green Bay, but he has remained an elite player when healthy. With Wiggins and Alexander outside, Humphrey in the slot and veteran Chidobe Awuzie offering quality depth, the Ravens are loaded at corner.
Alexander is already seemingly living up to the injury-prone tag, and they can’t exactly rely on someone like Chidobe Awuzie, either. He’s also talented, but has failed to play a full season since 2019. IN fact, he’s failed to reach 10 games in more season (three) than he did (two).
Additionally, Jayln-Armour Davis, who has played just 19 games over three seasons since being drafted in the fourth round in 2022, is already dealing with an injury. Harbaugh dismissed it as a “camp thing,” but it’s just another injury to monitor.
The top-end talent, with Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey at corners as well as Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Sparks at safety, is still borderline elite. But if any of them go down, a supposedly deep unit starts to get thin.
It’s telling that Baltimore reportedly worked out old friend Kyle Fuller recently. The former All-Pro hasn’t played since 2022.
Ravens’ High-Profile Signing Already Trending In Wrong Direction