A key to Baltimore’s success with first-round cornerbacks has been bringing them along slowly. Chris McAlister was the only one to make double-digits starts as a rookie, and he didn’t make his first one until October. Wiggins won’t need to start until he’s truly ready for it.
Exercising Odafe Oweh’s fifth-year option felt a little like how Baltimore used the franchise tag on Matthew Judon in 2020. The Ravens didn’t really view Judon as a $16.8 million player at the time, but that was a calculated risk to retain someone for another season and further evaluate him.