Losing versatile safety Ar’Darius Washington to a torn Achilles has set up an interesting battle for a niche role on the Baltimore Ravens’ defense, a battle set to be waged by an undrafted free agent and an unheralded “thumper”
Battle will commence between Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade when the Ravens open OTAs on Tuesday, May 27. They will vie for work behind All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks, the 27th player taken in the 2025 NFL draft.
It’s a key role because “Baltimore likes to employ a third safety in their base defense, allowing Kyle Hamilton to be a Swiss army knife in Zach Orr’s versatile scheme,” according to Glenn Erby of Ravens Wire.
That job description will be important in determining who wins the role, Kane or Brade. Both possess traits likely to change the way the Ravens deploy their safeties in the deep third of the field.
Two Heavy Hitters Set for Key Position Battle for Ravens
Neither Kane nor Brade possess much of a pedigree as skilled, pro-level defensive backs, but both offer enough physicality to suit the Ravens’ particular brand of defense. As Erby detailed, 2024 seventh-round pick “Kane is a thumper who also stood out on defense in the preseason. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a single reception on 30 coverage snaps, produced a coverage grade of 73.4, and recorded a forced incompletion and a tackle for loss.”
While Kane showed promise in coverage, he mostly proved his worth on special teams. Like with this hit against the Philadelphia Eagles that got third phase coordinator Chris Horton fired up.
A play like this one doesn’t directly apply to operating at safety, but it does show Kane can get downhill in a hurry and bring the thump. Those are things Washington was never afraid to do before his injury, despite his 5-foot-8, 180-pound frame.
Former Maryland product Brade also does those things well. Erby recapped how “Brade was mainly relegated to special teams roles and only saw the field on defense late in the fourth quarter of games where victory was well in hand. Brade recorded just three total tackles, including just one solo, and played 207 snaps on special teams compared to just 11 on defense” as a rookie.
Like Kane, Brade proved himself a willing hitter who plays with an attacking mindset. Breaking from deep to make this tackle against the Green Bay Packers last August, highlighted by Maryland Football, summed up the 23-year-old’s playing style.
Neither Brade nor Kane are lacking for force, but the Ravens will need to see range and awareness in coverage this offseason. Or else the defense will lose a lot without the crucial work Washington performed in 2024.
Ravens Sure to Miss Ar’Darius Washington
What Washington did was help fix an abysmal pass defense once he became a starter in November. His ability to play deep, along with Hamilton, made the Ravens less vulnerable to the big play, while also allowing defensive coordinator Zach Orr to disguise looks and coverage more freely.
Deploying a two-deep safety shell worked last season, but as Kyle Crabbs of AtoZ Sports pointed out, adding Starks to the mix was “supposed to give Baltimore a return to their potent three safety personnel packages that the team enjoyed in 2023.”
Washington’s injury “thrusts the third safety spot back under the microscope,” and if neither Kane nor Brade can win the job, “Baltimore may have to look at free agency if they’re intent on implementing ‘big nickel’ at a high rate” once again.
There’s good reason for Orr bringing the three-safety package back, even after Washington’s injury. A third safety would limit the need to play All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the slot, leaving him to stay on the perimeter and safeguard a depth chart otherwise mired in enough uncertainty to make the Ravens a popular candidate for an expensive trade.
