OWINGS MILLS — Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins has drawn some tough assignments over the past few weeks.
He’ll face another challenge on Sunday against the Bengals, who have two of the NFL’s top wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is confident Wiggins is up for the challenge.
“Nate is really developing. I think he’s learning fast,” coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s one of those positions where, I don’t think you don’t really understand it until you experience it. You’re a corner, you’re on the island. It’s you and a great athlete, a great quarterback throwing to him, and you have one-on-one coverage so many times, and just learning how it really works. ‘How fast are these guys? What do these routes really look like? How accurate are the quarterbacks in real time? How important is it for me to be in the right position?’
“And he’s a very quick learner that way.”
Two weeks ago, Wiggins had a contested matchup with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had four catches for 67 yards. Last week, Wiggins played a key role in containing Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who completed 16 of 29 passes for 180 yards.
Against Buffalo, Wiggins earned the third-highest rating on the defense behind outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh.
Wiggins has missed one game after rolling his Lamborghini on I-95 last month. He was sore but did not suffer any serious injuries.
Wiggins is also making an impact off the field. On Friday, he was named the Week 5 NFLPA Community MVP for his work with the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
“Nate Wiggins is a really good dude,” Harbaugh said. “He’s respectful, he cares about people, he treats people really well that I’ve seen – people that he’s around, fans or even people in the building, whoever it might be, he’s just a good person. To hear now for the first time that he got that award, I guess it just fits who he is perfectly, and I’d say, ‘Congratulations.’”
