Ravens Week 4 Rookie Report: Nate Wiggins ‘dropped some money’; Roger Rosengarten shines in first start

The first-round cornerback nearly had his first career interception twice while the second-round tackle made the most of his extended action.

The Baltimore Ravens were back at home in Week 4 of the regular season to take on the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills and received significant contributions from several members of their 2024 rookie class including some who suited up for the first time since the preseason.

On a day when a season-high five of the team’s nine draft selections dressed, most of them had a profound impact on the team’s 35-10 win as they shocked the football world by building up and keeping a double-digit lead.

The only two drafted rookies on the 53-man roster who did not participate were fourth-round wide receiver Devontez Walker and sixth-round center Nick Samac. Fifth-round running back Rasheen Ali was placed on injured reserve last week and undrafted rookie safety Beau Brade was also among the players on the inactive list.

Here is how the first-year players who suited up and took the field fared in their latest taste of regular season NFL action.

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CB Nate Wiggins

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Coming off an up-and-down performance last week in which he made a big game-changing play in the form of a turnover but gave up some big plays in coverage and was flagged multiple times, the first-round cornerback had a much cleaner and overall better outing in primetime. Wiggins set another new career high in total defensive snaps and percentage of snaps played for the second week in a row with 51 snaps that accounted for 86 % of the team’s total both of which were slightly more than three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey.

In his second straight career, Wiggins was both sticky and disciplined in coverage, recording a pair of assisted tackles and nearly recording his first career interception on two separate occasions only to see the ball slip through his hands both times which prompted All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to say that he “dropped some money today.” On his first chance, he made a great break on the ball after undercutting the intended receiver and the second was on an overthrow that if he had not tried to go up to get it, fourth-year defensive back Ar’Darius Washington likely would’ve hauled it in.

Missed turnover opportunities aside, Wiggins continued to show tremendous growth from one week to the next and finished as the Ravens’ third highest-ranked defender according to Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 80.9.

“[Nate is] just a growth guy [with a] growth mindset,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We trust our guys to learn and grow. [We] gave him an opportunity to go out there and do it again. He’s been practicing really well. He and I had numerous conversations; he and [assistant head coach/pass game coordinator] Chris [Hewitt] had numerous conversations – it’s just [a] natural part of football. He listens, and [he] practiced well last week and went out and played well.”

OT Roger Rosengarten

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

After not seeing the field for a single offensive snap in the Ravens’ first win of the season last week, the second-round lineman got to make his first start at right tackle due to veteran Patrick Mekari having to move inside to start at left guard in place of Andrew Vorhees who was out with an ankle injury. Rosengarten joined his fellow lineman in playing exceptionally in both the run and pass game. On his very first snap, he helped make a key block to spring running back Derrick Henry for a franchise-record-breaking 87-yard touchdown run and continued to look impressive for the rest of the night.

“I have to give credit to the rest of my colleagues on the offensive line,” Rosengarten said postgame. “These guys have played a lot of snaps in the NFL, so I get any information that I can from them. I got my first start and they came up to me and they believed in me. They said I got this. And with that 87-yard touchdown run, we couldn’t ask for a better start. No doubt.”

Some of his blocking assignments required him to help make double team blocks, pick up stunts and even block future first-ballot Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller and rising star Greg Rousseau one-on-one and didn’t lose a rep to either of them. He finished as the Ravens’ fifth highest-graded offensive player according to PFF with an overall of 75.9 and might have very well played himself into consideration to be a full-time starter.

“Roger is a guy that’s been coming on,’ Harbaugh said. “He’s a high draft pick; he’s a guy that we have a lot of expectations for, and he didn’t do anything in that game to dampen that down at all.”

OLB Adisa Isaac

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In his first time seeing the field since making an impressive preseason debut, the third-round outside linebacker did a lot in his limited playing time. Isaac surprisingly didn’t play a single snap on special teams but did make the most and flashed both quickness and high effort on 14 defensive snaps. He recorded three total tackles including a solo tackle for loss on his first where he knifed into the backfield on first down and brought down Bills running back and fellow rookie Ray Davis four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence moving on to the rest of the season and just something to grow on [and] something to build on,” Isaac told Alex Glaze of WJZ Sports in a postgame locker room interview. “It’s something I was kind of looking for just a start and kind of get my feet wet and that’s what happened today so I’m excited for the future and I’m excited for where the season is going to go.”

CB T.J. Tampa

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

In his first time seeing the field since making an impressive preseason debut, the third-round outside linebacker did a lot in his limited playing time. Isaac surprisingly didn’t play a single snap on special teams but did make the most and flashed both quickness and high effort on 14 defensive snaps. He recorded three total tackles including a solo tackle for loss on his first where he knifed into the backfield on first down and brought down Bills running back and fellow rookie Ray Davis four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

DB Sanoussi Kane

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

After only seeing the field on special teams exclusively for the first three games of the season, the seventh-round safety got to see action on defense for the first time since the preseason with five snaps on the last drive of the game as well. Kane still saw the bulk of his action in the third phase of the game with 22 snaps which tied Tampa for the second-most on the team.