Ravens Week 5 Rookie Report: Wiggins made and gave up plays; Rosengarten makes clutch stop

The first-round cornerback had an up-and-down outing while the second-round tackle made a crucial play in his second career start.

The Baltimore Ravens were back on the road in Week 5 of the regular season to take on the desperate Cincinnati Bengals and received significant contributions from several members of their 2024 rookie class.

On a day when four of the team’s nine draft selections dressed, half of them had a profound impact on the team’s dramatic 41-38 overtime win as they rallied back from multiple double-digit deficits in the second half.

The only three drafted rookies on the 53-man roster who did not participate were third-round outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, fourth-round wide receiver Devontez Walker and sixth-round center Nick Samac. Fifth-round running back Rasheen Ali remains on injured reserve although he returned to practice last week and undrafted rookie safety Beau Brade was among the players on the inactive list for the fifth week in a row.

Here is how the first-year players fared in their latest taste of regular season NFL action.

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CB Nate Wiggins

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Despite coming off his best game as a pro last week, the first-round rookie didn’t make his third straight start. Wiggins also played his second-fewest defensive snaps since the season opener with 21, although he did play a season-high 21 snaps on special teams where he made a solo tackle in the open field on punt coverage. Wiggins had an up-and-down performance in coverage where he made some nice plays. He also gave up some that resulted in chunk gains and first downs for the Bengals.

Two of his best plays were a pair of impressive pass breakups in tight coverage of Bengals star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The first came against Chase in the first half ended a drive on third down and forced a punt on the next play. His play against Higgins helped derail Cincinnati’s last possession of regulation on a second-and-17 after defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike recorded his first full sack of the season, and on third down, the Bengals elected to go conservative and run a draw to guarantee overtime and the rest was history.

OT Roger Rosengarten

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Following a dominant showing in his first career start last week, the second-round lineman was solid overall in his second although it was far from perfect as he was charged with giving up a team-high four pressures in pass protection according to Pro Football Focus. Rosengarten also had a part in the blown blocking assignment that resulted in running back Derrick Henry getting tackled in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter that cut the Ravens lead to five points and gave the Bengals the ball back.

Rosengarten didn’t play 100 percent of the total offensive snaps because he left briefly to be evaluated for an injury before returning to make his biggest and most impactful play of the game. Surprisingly, it wasn’t any particular block he executed but rather the clutch tackle he made to bring down Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt after he recovered quarterback Lamar Jackson’s fumble in overtime.

His clutch first career tackle limited Pratt’s return to just nine yards and the defense went on to yield just three more yards on three straight carries to force a 53-yard field goal attempt that was missed wide left after a botched hold.

CB T.J. Tampa

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In his second straight regular-season appearance, the fourth-round corner played exclusively on special teams and tied with four players for the second-most snaps in that phase of the game. He was on the field in overtime when Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed the 53-yard attempt that gave the Ravens new life.

DB Sanoussi Kane

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After getting his first taste of defensive action last week, the seventh-round safety was back to playing exclusively on special teams and tied Tampa for the second-most snaps on the team in that phase with 28.

RB Chris Collier

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In his second straight game being elevated from the practice squad to provide emergency backfield depth, the undrafted rookie out of Lock Haven saw his first snaps of the regular season with all 11 coming on special teams. He served as the Ravens’ second returner on the dynamic kickoff. He returned one for 22 yards to the Baltimore 26-yard line in the third quarter but later would make a mistake trying to field another in the landing zone only to see it accidentally bounce off his foot and go out of bounds at the eight-yard line on a muffed attempt. Thankfully his field gaffe didn’t prove costly as Jackson marched the offense down the field on an 11-play touchdown drive.