Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins was feeling good. He’d performed well in preseason and had just made his NFL debut. And then an 18-wheeler “clipped” his Lamborghini, flipping the car off the road and Wiggins onto the sidelines for Week 2.
Wiggins, who only recently turned 21 and is living the farthest he has ever been from his family, said he was obviously scared.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh reported Wiggins was “fine,” but “fine” was relevant to how bad it could have been. Wiggins still ended up on the injury report with a neck/concussion designation.
“I think it was just whiplash,” Wiggins said. “Just hit my head hard in the car wreck and just think I had whiplash.”
Wiggins was “two minutes” away from his apartment in Owings Mills, on his way home from a practice where he had spoken to The Banner about how pleased he was with his performance in his debut. Although he was relegated mostly to special teams, he felt he showed his physicality when he was out there.
Already a slender player, Wiggins shed weight ahead of the NFL combine and was a feather-light 173 pounds. By the time the Ravens drafted him he was into the 180s, but people still doubted whether he could keep up with the bigger, faster, stronger players of the NFL.
Wiggins made his first tackles in the Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on two big-name players: wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Isiah Pacheco.
Now he just had to make his M&T Bank Stadium debut. His family was coming up for the game, and he was ready to show out whenever his name was called.
Instead, he was absent from practice that Thursday, and Harbaugh announced Friday that he had been in an accident. Wiggins watched from the sidelines as his team lost to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The following week, Wiggins returned to the field Thursday but wore a red noncontact jersey all the way up until the final practice. Harbaugh said he didn’t know if Wiggins would play Sunday because he had to clear concussion protocol.
Wiggins didn’t just play. The Ravens started him against the Dallas Cowboys. The rookie had ups and downs, but he made a play Harbaugh emphasized after the game. He forced CeeDee Lamb to fumble in the red zone, preventing a touchdown that would have put the Cowboys on top at the end of the game.
Wiggins is the latest of at least three Ravens to be in a car accident this season. Tight end Mark Andrews and linebacker Josh Ross were also in car crashes. Police in Baltimore County and Howard County told The Banner they did not have records of Wiggins’ accident.
