Ravens CB Nate Wiggins Carted Off Practice with Scary Left Leg Injury

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins was carted off the practice field Tuesday after suffering an apparent left leg or knee injury, a scary scene that threatens to sideline the team’s top cover corner just as training camp hits full stride. Wiggins tangled feet with rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane during a one-on-one drill and went down hard, unable to put any weight on the leg as trainers helped him into the team facility with his arms draped over their shoulders.

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick out of Clemson in 2024 and has quickly established himself as Baltimore’s premier shutdown corner, starting 23 of a possible 34 games across his first two seasons. He broke out in 2025, starting all 17 games and posting 76 tackles, three interceptions, and 14 pass deflections while battling through what he later admitted was a nagging groin issue that limited him to roughly “60 or 70 percent” for most of his career to that point. Wiggins underwent offseason surgery to address the problem and had said publicly he finally felt fully healthy entering a pivotal third season — making Tuesday’s injury an especially cruel twist.

How the Injury Happened

The play unfolded roughly 45 minutes into Tuesday’s session at the Ravens’ Owings Mills practice facility. Wiggins was covering Lane on a go route during one-on-one work when the two players’ feet became tangled, sending Wiggins to the turf in what witnesses described as visible, significant pain. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported the cornerback was in “a ton of pain” before being helped onto the cart, while ESPN’s Jamison Hensley noted Wiggins could not bear any weight on the leg as he left the field. General manager Eric DeCosta and first-year head coach Jesse Minter both went out to check on him before he was taken inside, a level of attention that underscored how significant the moment felt on the practice field.

Minter offered a cautious but hopeful update afterward, stopping short of any diagnosis. “I don’t have a ton of information yet,” Minter told reporters. “I think there’s optimism, but again, we’ll look at it, we’ll see where it’s at. It’s one of those plays — really not much between the two guys in the play. So whether it was hitting the ground or whatever it was, we’ll see what it looks like.” The team has not released a timetable and is still awaiting test results to determine the severity of the injury. Wiggins is the first Ravens player carted off during this year’s training camp, and the lack of an immediate diagnosis has left both the locker room and the fan base bracing for updates.

What It Means for Baltimore’s Secondary

If Wiggins misses significant time, the ripple effect on Baltimore’s defense would be substantial. He has been the unquestioned CB1 since arriving in Charm City, and the Ravens’ secondary depth chart thins out considerably without him on the field for a defense that will already be adjusting to Minter’s new scheme in his first year running the unit. The timing stings further given how Wiggins had spoken openly on a recent podcast about finally feeling like himself physically after two seasons of playing through pain, with expectations around the building that he would take a real leap in Year 3 now that the groin issue was behind him.

The Ravens will lean on their remaining cornerback depth to soak up reps if Wiggins is out for any length of time, but none of that group brings the ball skills or man-coverage ceiling Wiggins has flashed since his rookie season. Losing him for an extended stretch would force Baltimore’s coaching staff to adjust coverage packages and could push younger corners into significant roles far earlier than planned, right as the defense tries to establish its identity under a new coordinator-turned-head-coach.

A Nervy Stretch in Camp

The injury also arrives during an unsettled few days for Baltimore’s camp. It comes just two practices after two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers left Friday’s session with a thigh bruise; Flowers returned to limited work Tuesday, offering at least one bit of positive injury news on the same day. With the Ravens set to open their preseason slate Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles, every roster battle and health update carries extra weight this time of year, and Wiggins’ status will be one of the most closely watched storylines in Baltimore over the coming days.

Fans tracking Baltimore’s outlook can check the latest Super Bowl odds movement as more news on the injury emerges, since a long-term absence for a player of Wiggins’ caliber could shift how oddsmakers view the Ravens’ defense heading into the regular season. For now, the organization is left waiting on test results, hoping Minter’s guarded optimism proves accurate rather than merely hopeful spin on a genuinely worrying scene.