Baltimore Ravens star All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton gets brutally honest about the team's defensive struggles over the past few seasons.
Baltimore Ravens star safety Kyle Hamilton is looking forward to getting things started with the new regime. However, he was brutally honest when discussing how the defense has performed over the past few seasons.
Hamilton made an appearance at the voluntary offseason program. He spoke to reporters on Wednesday and touched on a variety of topics.
The All-Pro admitted that he was shocked to learn about the departure of John Harbaugh, but said that he is excited to get things started with new head coach Jesse Minter.
On top of that, Hamilton also said that he is looking forward to working with Minter and the new defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, as they look to get back to being an elite defense.
"We just kind of got to get back to or just reestablish like dominant defense ... I think defensively it's been pretty disappointing just some results that we've had and um, we've had some good seasons, but we've also had some bad seasons and those are inexcusable," Hamilton said.
The Ravens ranked 15th in defense in 2025 on Pro Football Focus. In 2024, they were ranked 10th, and in 2023, they were ranked sixth, per Fox Sports. Clearly, there has been a decline, which Hamilton sees being corrected with Minter and Weaver in the building.
"I think confronting that and him along with Coach Weaver, they've both done a great job so far just kind of laying out the what's been in the past and where we want to go in the future and how the standard has not been met and upheld and we need to kind of fix that."
The Ravens have had Super Bowl or bust expectations since the emergence of Lamar Jackson. However, the Ravens have fallen short every single time, as they've only mustered one conference championship appearance in that time frame.
That conference title appearance came in 2023, and they were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, they've fallen short in the Divisional round in 2024 against the Buffalo Bills and missed the playoffs entirely in 2025 after going 8-9.
This upcoming season now brings a boatload of changes. For starters, Harbaugh is no longer at the helm after 18 seasons as the Ravens' head coach. While he brought the city of Baltimore its first title in the 2012 season, they have failed to get back since then.
The Ravens have been able to get over the hump for the past 13 seasons, and they felt a change of scenery was necessary. In comes Minter, who will get his first crack as a head coach in the NFL.
Minter is expected to bring a new element to the Ravens' defense. He's been able to build an effective defense for the past handful of seasons due to his mix of structure, disguise, and discipline. His defense is not a scheme, but it consists of how the players execute it.
His defense is tough due to its unpredictability, as offenses have trouble diagnosing what is to come. On paper, Minter has the personnel to run exactly what he likes; the Ravens have versatile players, like Hamilton. This versatility and flexibility allow Minter to disguise his looks and adjust week-to-week.
The Ravens' defense wasn’t at its best from start to finish last season, but with improved health and the right coaching in place, Baltimore will look to return to being an elite unit.