Ravens Week 6 Rookie Report: Wiggins continues to flash; Rosengarten shines as run-blocker

The first-round cornerback had outing where made and gave up some plays while the second-round tackle looked good in his third career start.

The Baltimore Ravens were back at home in Week 6 of the regular season to take on the red-hot Washington Commanders in the Battle of the Beltway and received contributions from several members of their 2024 rookie class.

On a day when five of the team’s nine draft selections dressed, the top two had profound impacts on the team securing a 30-23 win as they maintained control throughout the game.

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. Meanwhile fifth-round running back Rasheen Ali and undrafted rookie safety Beau Brade each made their regular season debuts.

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

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CB Nate Wiggins

Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

There is no denying the explosive play-making ability of the Ravens’ first-round rookie whose 43 defensive snaps played was his second-highest total of the season. Wiggins recorded a career single-game high four total tackles including one for a loss where he read, anticipated and blew up a play to running back Austin Ekeler in the open field at the line of scrimmage for no gain on the Commanders’ second drive of the game.

In coverage, Wiggins continues to have moments of brilliance and others when gets a little too physical with the receiver downfield when he doesn’t need to given his speed and athleticism. He broke up a pair of passes including one on third down to force a long field goal on Washington’s first possession of the second half. The other came in the red zone and forced the Commanders to have to go for it on fourth and goal early in the fourth quarter. While he gave up a few first-down catches of 10-plus yards and was called for defensive pass interference on a late fourth and long, his good plays outshined his bad ones overall.

“Nate steadily gets better and better,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “You saw him make some really good plays out there – some big plays out there – and then there are other plays that he wants to do better at. He’s young. [Our opponents] go after him because he’s young, like they would anybody, but he’s held his own really well. I think he’s only going to continue to improve, because he has the right mindset for it, and I’m excited about the upside in a big way, and you saw him play a lot as a result.”

OT Roger Rosengarten

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In his third straight start at right tackle, the second-round lineman surprisingly stood out more as a run blocker than he did as a pass protector which was the opposite of what his prospect profile suggested coming out of college. Rosengarten was credited with giving up the most pressures of all Ravens offensive linemen by Pro Football Focus with six and gave up a sack that forced a punt in the first quarter. However, his run blocking has greatly improved throughout the season and there were several instances on Sunday where he made a key block to spring Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry for chunk gains as the offense racked up 484 total yards and outrushed a sixth straight opponent to open the season.

CB T.J. Tampa

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In his third straight regular-season appearance, the fourth-round corner played exclusively on special teams and tied with four players for the most snaps in that phase of the game with 23.

RB Rasheen Ali

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After opening the season on injured reserve, the fifth made his regular season debut on Sunday and played exclusively on special teams, seeing the field for just nine snaps in the third phase of the game.

DB Sanoussi Kane

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The seventh-round safety played exclusively on special teams for the fifth time this season and was among those who tied Tampa for the most snaps on the team in that phase with 23.

DB Beau Brade

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

After being inactive as a healthy scratch for the first five games of the season, the undrafted rookie made his regular-season debut. He also played exclusively on special teams with his 19 being the third-most on the team and he recorded his first career tackle on the second kickoff of the third quarter when he joined forces with tight end Charlie Kolar to bring down Ekeler at the Washington 31 after he brought it out from a yard deep into the end zone.