Ravens Avoid Major Injury as Nate Wiggins’ Scary Practice Exit Reportedly Ends With Good News
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Baltimore Ravens appeared to dodge what could have been one of the most damaging injuries of training camp Tuesday when starting cornerback Nate Wiggins was carted from practice with a left leg injury.
The scene at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills initially looked concerning. Wiggins went down during a one-on-one drill against rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane and needed assistance before eventually being taken inside on a cart. He appeared unable to put significant weight on his injured leg.
Hours later, however, the outlook became much more encouraging.
NFL Network reported that testing revealed no structural damage to Wiggins’ leg, according to multiple reports, including Reuters. That is potentially enormous news for a Ravens defense that enters the 2026 season counting on Wiggins to serve as one of its cornerstone players in the secondary.
Injury Creates Scary Moment at Ravens Practice
Wiggins was injured roughly an hour into Tuesday’s practice during individual competition between defensive backs and wide receivers.
According to the Associated Press, Wiggins became tangled with Lane during the play before falling to the turf. Members of Baltimore’s medical staff immediately attended to the cornerback, focusing on his left leg.
The cart arriving understandably created immediate concern.
Injuries during training camp are always significant, but losing Wiggins for an extended period would have represented a major blow for a Baltimore defense attempting to rebound under first-year head coach Jesse Minter.
Minter did not have a definitive diagnosis immediately after practice, but his initial comments offered some encouragement.
“I think there’s optimism,” Minter told reporters while explaining that the Ravens would continue evaluating the injury. He also noted that there was not much contact between Wiggins and Lane on the play.
That optimism appears to have been justified.
The later report that Wiggins suffered no structural damage dramatically changes the outlook from what Ravens fans feared when they saw one of Baltimore’s top defensive players being taken off the field.
Wiggins Has Developed Into Baltimore’s No. 1 Cornerback
There is a reason Wiggins’ injury created so much concern.
The Ravens selected Wiggins with the No. 30 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft after an impressive career at Clemson. He quickly developed from a talented rookie into one of the most important members of Baltimore’s defense.
Wiggins finished his second NFL season in 2025 with 76 tackles, including 57 solo tackles, three interceptions and 14 passes defensed.
Through his first two NFL seasons, Wiggins has recorded 109 tackles, four interceptions, 27 passes defensed and a forced fumble. His interception total includes the memorable pick-six against the Cleveland Browns that closed out his rookie regular season.
Perhaps even more impressive is his production around the football.
According to the Ravens, Wiggins’ 27 passes defensed through his first two seasons were tied for second-most in franchise history over a player’s first two years and ranked among the best totals from members of the 2024 draft class.
That development has elevated Wiggins beyond simply being another talented member of Baltimore’s secondary.
He has become a player the Ravens expect to match against dangerous opposing receivers every week.
Ravens Cannot Afford to Lose Wiggins
Baltimore has talent throughout its secondary, but Wiggins gives the defense something that is extremely difficult to replace: an athletic outside cornerback capable of matching speed with some of the NFL’s best receivers.
His presence also gives Minter significantly more flexibility when designing coverages.
With Wiggins available, Baltimore can potentially be more aggressive with veteran Marlon Humphrey and move defensive backs around depending on matchups. If Wiggins were unavailable, the Ravens would have to reshuffle those responsibilities and place additional pressure on their cornerback depth.
Veteran Chidobe Awuzie would be one of the players positioned to take on a larger role if Wiggins misses practice or preseason time. Baltimore also has T.J. Tampa among its options at cornerback.
However, replacing Wiggins would not simply mean inserting another player into the lineup.
The former Clemson standout has developed into arguably the Ravens’ premier pure coverage corner.
Another Injury Scare for Baltimore
The Wiggins situation also comes only days after the Ravens received another training camp scare involving wide receiver Zay Flowers.
Flowers left practice after suffering a quad contusion but avoided a significant injury and returned to limited work Tuesday.
Baltimore can only hope Wiggins follows a similarly short recovery timeline.
The Ravens have dealt with enough significant injuries during previous seasons to know how quickly a promising roster can be altered. Training camp is about preparing players for the regular season, but keeping cornerstone players healthy is ultimately much more important than preseason repetitions.
There should be little reason for Baltimore to rush Wiggins back onto the field.
Even if additional testing confirms there is no major damage, giving Wiggins several days — or longer if necessary — to recover would make sense with the regular season still weeks away.
MSB Take
Ravens fans had every reason to fear the worst Tuesday afternoon.
Seeing Nate Wiggins unable to put weight on his leg and eventually leaving practice on a cart was one of those training camp moments that immediately makes everything else happening on the field feel insignificant.
Fortunately, the early news could hardly have been better considering how concerning the injury initially appeared.
If the report of no structural damage holds up, Baltimore may have avoided a potentially season-changing injury.
Wiggins is no longer simply a young cornerback with upside. He has become one of the foundational pieces of this Ravens defense.
His combination of length, speed, coverage ability and growing confidence gives Baltimore the type of cornerback every championship-caliber defense needs.
The Ravens should be extremely cautious with him from this point forward.
Preseason games do not matter nearly as much as having Wiggins lined up across from an opponent’s No. 1 receiver when the regular season begins.
For now, what started as one of the scariest moments of Ravens training camp appears to have ended with a massive sigh of relief in Baltimore.
Follow Maryland Sports Blog for continued Ravens training camp coverage, roster news and analysis throughout the 2026 season at www.marylandsportsblog.com.
