By Tiffany Williams –
Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton spoke with reporters following Friday’s minicamp session, sharing his thoughts on the addition of cornerback Jaire Alexander, the state of the roster, and the development of rookie safety Malaki Starks.
Hamilton said the news of Alexander’s signing spread quickly among players, shortly after quarterback Lamar Jackson mentioned it during lunch.
“It’s kind of crazy how fast that news broke,” Hamilton said. “He’s been one of the best in this league since he got in it. To have anybody like that—especially in the DB room—is super valuable.”
Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowler, joins a secondary now filled with high-profile talent. Hamilton said the depth will be crucial as the team prepares for a demanding season.
“You can never have too many DBs,” he said. “It seems like every team is thin at DB at some point in the year. To just add a guy like that—not only his play, but his energy, charisma, leadership and ball knowledge—it’s going to be great.”
Asked about the roster’s overall strength heading into training camp, Hamilton said the Ravens have retained and added key talent.
“These two days [of minicamp], you can kind of see the trajectory that we think we’re on,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re off to a great start. It seems like we’re playing 12-on-11 out there sometimes—no offense to the offense.”
Hamilton also praised rookie safety Malaki Starks, who is expected to take on a larger role following a recent injury to Ar’Darius Washington.
“[Starks] is super eager to learn and very mature for his age,” Hamilton said. “He’s going to do very well with the opportunity, and he’s going to have a great career.”
The former Notre Dame standout said he expects training camp to be a key time for building chemistry across the secondary, especially with Starks.
“We’ll have group stuff going on so we can all be on the same page,” he said.
The Ravens’ defensive backfield now features five former first-round picks, a distinction that Hamilton says comes with responsibility.
“It kind of comes with an added expectation that we welcome,” he said. “We really have no excuses to not go out there and do what we need to do. Pressure is a privilege.”
Hamilton praised the leadership of defensive coordinator Zach Orr as he enters his second season in the role.
“You can tell there’s a difference in the confidence in him and everybody in the room,” Hamilton said. “He puts that confidence in us. So, we follow his lead.”
Hamilton also highlighted the value of veteran coach Chuck Pagano, who joined the Ravens this offseason as a senior defensive assistant and secondary coach.
“Every time he says something in the meeting room with all the DBs, it’s like he’s just dropping knowledge,” Hamilton said. “He’s accomplished everything in this game besides winning the Super Bowl. We want to get that not only for us, but for him, too.”
The Ravens are scheduled to open training camp later this month.
Sports Insider Daily 