The Baltimore Ravens are gearing up to face one of their biggest historical rivals, the Cleveland Browns. With both teams coming off heartbreaking losses in their season opener, both teams are raring to get their win back against a hated rival. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they'll be missing one of their key players in cornerback Jaire Alexander.
“#Ravens CB Jaire Alexander, who has no injury status but is still working his way back from a previous knee issue, will be inactive today,” Ian Rapoport reports. “Another week to get right.”
Alexander was signed by the Ravens during the 2025 offseason to help bolster their cornerback room. While their defense has been sound for the most part, their cornerback position is generally considered their weakest. Despite having a star in Kyle Hamilton at safety, they've struggled with heavy passing attacks in the last few years.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, the Alexander experiment was off to a rough start in Week 1. Alexander allowed the most passing yards out of all defensive backs during the Ravens-Bills game, allowing 83 passing yards. He allowed three receptions on three targets, and Bills star Josh Allen had a 118.8 passer rating when targeting Alexander. In a night where Allen diced up the entire Ravens defense, Alexander looked the worst. PFF graded his Week 1 performance at 29.8, the second-worst mark amongst all cornerbacks.
With Alexander out for the Browns game, the Ravens cornerback room will feature Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, and Chidobe Awuzie. Cleveland's passing attack isn't spectacular, but they have a solid wide receiver in Jerry Jeudy who definitely needs attention.
