Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton suffered what appeared to be a serious lower body injury in training camp but he was able to get back on the field.
A hush came over the crowd at Ravens training camp in Owings Mills, Maryland, when All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton fell to the ground and momentarily could not get back to his feet.
A couple of trainers helped him off the field because of a lower-body injury he suffered in team drills. Later, two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, tight end Isaiah Likely, and coach John Harbaugh hustled to the sideline to check on him.
Hamilton was able to walk off the field, but there were questions about his availability. Forty-eight hours later, on Tuesday, he was back at practice and the Ravens were relieved because losing Hamilton to a long-term injury would be a season-altering scenario.
“We were holding our breath,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr said about the injury after practice on Tuesday. “We’re fortunate [and] thanking the lord that it wasn’t anything serious [and that] it was something minor, and that’s just a testament to Kyle Hamilton—his toughness, his want, his willingness to be there for his teammates, his leadership. And then, I mean, he’s a heck of a player.” Hamilton did not show effects from the injury on Tuesday. On one play, Hamilton broke up a potential touchdown pass to Zay Flowers with a leaping effort.
“I mean that was ridiculous,” Orr said about the pass breakup. “I’d be hard-pressed to find somebody else in the league that can make a play like that. Now, we wish he would have caught the ball—he'll tell you that too—but it was a heck of a play. Kyle Hamilton, like we’ve always been saying, he’s one of one. We’re glad he’s part of our team.” In just his second year in the NFL, Hamilton became one of the top playmakers on the Ravens’ defense. Hamilton now has the potential to become one of the best defensive players in franchise history, joining Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs, if he keeps progressing.
He earned All-Pro honors in just his second year in the NFL after setting the Ravens’ single-season record for defensive backs with
10 tackles for a loss. He had 13 passes defensed, which was tied with Detroit’s Brian Branch for the most by a safety last season.
Hamilton finished with three sacks in the first half against the Colts on Sept. 25, which tied the NFL record by a defensive back, joining former Steelers safety Carnell Lake in 1997.
Ravens assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt said it’s hard to compare Hamilton to other players because his skillset and ability to play multiple positions are so unique.
“He’s one of one,” Hewitt
said. “There are not many guys who [can] come along like that. He’s like a generational-type player. You don’t see many guys who are 6-foot-4, who can run and change direction the way he does. He still plays with violence; he’s not a finesse player. He’s got it all. He’s a different player, and he is very unique. There are not many players in the league or coming into the league that I see that look like that.”
The Ravens did not need a safety in the spring of 2022 because they had Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark as the starters. Hamilton was expected to be a top-10 in that year’s NFL Draft after a stellar career at Notre Dame. However, he fell to the Ravens
with the 14th overall selection after there was a run on wide receivers.
Hamilton displayed his versatility as a college player for the Fighting Irish. Those skills have transitioned seamlessly into the NFL and now he is looking to help the Ravens with the third Super Bowl in franchise history.
“I think at Notre Dame, I did a little bit of everything, but coming into the league, I really didn’t expect to,” Hamilton
said at the beginning of this year’s training camp. “I think I more expected to just play both safety spots. That was going to be the extent of my flexibility—but it’s been awesome just being able to move around and learn more about the defense, stuff like that. I just said something to somebody else over there—I just go week-to-week.
“[When] Monday meetings come in, whatever they need me to do—if that’s play deep, play in the half, play down in the box [or] cover—whatever they need me to do, I’m here for it. [I] just want to get better at everything.”
