Getty The Baltimore Ravens can sign an award-winning free agent to mentor rookie CB Nate Wiggins.
Using their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Nate Wiggins was the necessary initial step toward the Baltimore Ravens remaking their cornerback rotation. Wiggins could use a mentor, though, to help acclimate to the pro level, and the Ravens won’t find any better than 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.
The veteran is still on the free-agent market, and Garrett Podell of CBS Sports believes the Ravens are a great fit for Gilmore for two reasons.
One has to do with the presence of fellow All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey. As Podell put it, “Gilmore, along with Humphrey, could prove to be two great mentors for Wiggins.”
Aside from helping a gifted youngster reach his full potential, Gilmore could use the overall talent on a loaded Ravens roster to boost his chances of ending a decorated career with a second Lombardi trophy: “teaming up with two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson would allow the 12-year vet to remain in the Super Bowl hunt in his 13th season.”
Gilmore last lifted the big prize in 2019 as a member of the Ravens’ AFC rivals the New England Patriots. Yet, the 33-year-old proved last season with the Dallas Cowboys he remains one of the league’s more accomplished cover men.
Stephon Gilmore Would Be An Asset on Remade Depth Chart
Podell pointed out how it’s all change for the Ravens at the cornerback position after “Both Rock Ya-Sin (49ers) and Ronald Darby (Jaguars) have departed for greener pastures.”
Those departures mean a proven commodity like Gilmore would be an asset on a remade depth chart. Especially since he still played at a high level during his 12th season in 2023.
Gilmore allowed a 55.8 completion percentage, while limiting quarterbacks to a rating of 82.7, per Pro Football Reference. He also got his hands on 15 passes, intercepting two and breaking up 13 others.
The first of those picks came against the New York Giants in Week 1. This theft owed a lot to Gilmore’s enduring ability to stay plastered to his coverage matchup, but somehow rarely lose sight of the ball.
Stephon Gilmore picks off Jones! Another INT for the Dallas D
📺: #DALvsNYG on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/DITLbvj034
Those same qualities would put Gilmore near the top of the Ravens’ depth chart right away. He’d be in the ideal position to show Wiggins and others how things are done in the NFL.
Nate Wiggins Would Benefit From Player to Player Coaching
One of the things Gilmore could show Wiggins is how to play man coverage in the pros. One-on-one matchups have long been Gilmore’s forte, and as ESPN’s Matt Bowen once highlighted, the player’s technique is a “teaching tool” for “young DBs.”
Stephon Gilmore.
“Play the pocket.” And finish on the ball.
The example set by Gilmore wouldn’t only help Wiggins. It would also aid the development of fourth-round pick T.J. Tampa.
Both Tampa and Wiggins are being counted on to adopt key roles in a new-look secondary. Fortunately, they each possess the core skills to emulate what a cornerback with Gilmore’s playing style has achieved.
Wiggins was credited by Bleacher Report’s Cory Giddings with being “Patient in press coverage. Shows the lateral quickness to stay with receivers off the line. Has fluid hips to flip and run. Uses hands well to disrupt routes.”
Tampa, meanwhile, was near flawless during his final year at Iowa, according to PFF College.
Iowa State CB T.J. Tampa last season:
🌪 411 Coverage Snaps
🌪 One TD Allowed
🌪 2 INTs | 6 PBUs
🌪 54.8 Passer Rating Allowed
🌪 78.3 Coverage Grade
The raw talent is obvious in Baltimore’s younger secondary, but learning from a player with Gilmore’s CV would only make Wiggins and Tampa better sooner.