Hawkins enters the roster as the team’s third safety along with Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks. Hamilton is by far the most famous in the hall. In his four NFL seasons, he is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He excels in the lineup anywhere in the minor leagues. His defensive linemate from last season, Starks, showed well in his rookie year, and now Hawkins provides another playmaker as Baltimore looks to tinker more with three-safety sets.
“I think we could be special,” Hawkins said of the safety group. “I think we’ve got something cooking. Everyone’s talented in their own way. Everyone’s got different strengths. We can all get the ball. There’s so much at stake. Right now it’s just about feeding off each other, playing off each other, playing well together.”
Hawkins, a six-year pro, has traveled from the Falcons’ 2020 fourth-round pick to the Chargers and then to the Pats the past two seasons. In 2025, he doubled his career interception mark and added four more interceptions to bring his total to eight. He also had a career high with six passes defensed, set career highs with 1.5 sacks and five sacks, most notably forcing a fumble against his future team in the Week 15 win over the Ravens.
His best NFL season coincided with the team’s most successful season, but Hawkins and New England still fell one win short of the final goal.
While he initially thought he might get a chance to re-sign and go right back with the Patriots, his path instead headed south to Baltimore, where he’s determined to let this Super Bowl disappointment fuel him.
“You have to turn the page,” Hawkins said. “I’m in B-more now. It was with the Pats. Now I’m with the Ravens. In order for me to fully embrace this journey, I have to turn the page, but I can use it as motivation.”