The Ravens are in a state of flux following a rare postseason miss in 2025, which ushered in Jesse Minter as the franchise's fourth head coach amid Baltimore's quest to make the most of Lamar Jackson's prime.
Among other changes was signing safety Jaylinn Hawkins after he enjoyed his most impactful year as a pro for the Patriots.
Whatever the outside opinion is on Baltimore's newfound trajectory under Minter, Hawkins comes in with major optimism -- plus reason to be believed fresh off reaching a Super Bowl with New England.
"Just the way this culture is, the team the history, and what we have right now," Hawkins said on The Lounge podcast, via the team website. "I believe in the guys we have on the team. I believe we can do something special. I also believe in Coach Minter. I look at his resume and what he did in LA, a good defensive-minded coach. I fit well."
Hawkins slots in on the roster as the team's third safety alongside Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks. Hamilton is by far the most celebrated in the room. In his four NFL seasons, he's made the Pro Bowl three times and twice been an All-Pro. He excels lined up anywhere in the secondary. His defensive backfield mate from last season, Starks, represented himself well in his rookie year, and now Hawkins provides another playmaker as Baltimore is set to dabble more in three-safety sets under Minter.
"I think we could be special," Hawkins said of the safety trio. "I think we've got something cooking. Everybody is talented in their own way. Everybody has different strengths. We all can get the ball. There's so much upside to it. Now it's just about feeding off each other, playing off each other, playing well together."
A six-year pro, Hawkins has journeyed from a 2020 fourth-round selection by the Falcons to the Chargers and then to the Pats the last two seasons. In 2025, he doubled his career interception mark, adding four more snags to bring his total to eight. He also tied a career high with six passes defensed, set career highs with 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits, and notably forced a fumble against his future team in Week 15 win over the Ravens.
His best NFL season coincided with the most team success he's experienced, but Hawkins and New England nonetheless fell one win short of the ultimate goal.
Although he initially thought he might have an opportunity to re-sign and go right back at it with the Patriots, his path instead led south to Baltimore, where he's determined to let that Super Bowl disappointment fuel him.
"You've got to turn the page," Hawkins said. "I'm in B-more now. That was with the Pats. Now I'm with the Ravens. In order for me to fully embrace this journey, I've got to turn the page, but I can use it as motivation."
