Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton redefines the concept of “versatility.” He is indeed the proverbial Swiss army knife for this defense, led by new coordinator Zach Orr.
The term “position-less basketball” is trendy right now in NBA and college hoops, but what about “position-less football”- is that a thing?
In terms of Hamilton and the back half of the Ravens’ defense, yes, it truly is. The third-year defensive back played multiple positions in college, but he was surprised to be given various roles during his first two years in the league.
“At Notre Dame, I did a little bit of everything, but coming into the league, I really didn’t expect to,” Hamilton said.
“I more expected to play both safety spots and that would be the extent of my flexibility. But it’s been awesome.
“Monday’s meetings, come in, whatever they need me to do, play deep, play half, play down in the box, cover. Whatever they need me to do, I’m here for it.”
Utilizing the former Golden Domer as a deep half safety (sometimes referred to as a defensive halfback in some coverage schemes), cover-centric safety, nickel cornerback, or blitzing safety, Hamilton is a player who is just as likely to end up in an opposing backfield as he is the last line of defense on a deep ball.
His abilities and skill sets make it very hard for opposing offensive coordinators to scheme against.
This is why Orr called him the “ultimate chess piece,” with “defensive player of the year potential” back in May.
Take a look at this tweet from Ravens.com Editor Ryan Mink:
Kyle Hamilton’s snap counts by position from last season is still stunning (via @PFF):
Wide CB: 5
OLB: 58
Strong safety: 89
ILB: 147
Free safety: 301
Slot CB: 465What will it look like in 2024?
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) July 18, 2024
So, if you’re counting at home- that’s six different positions, all within the secondary and the linebacking corps, played by Hamilton.
If Orr really wants to make things interesting, maybe he could even line him up at the three-technique!
But not at nose tackle, according to his good friend and position group mate Marlon Humphrey.
“Kyle, he’s a man of his own,” Humphrey said on Tuesday.
“How he can go from safety to nickel, to play wherever. I always tell people if it had to be, Kyle could play every position on the defense except nose guard because he just can’t put on as much weight as Michael Pierce.”
