Baltimore, MD – July 3, 2025
In a league where safeties are rarely mentioned in the same breath as Defensive Player of the Year, something — or someone — is starting to shift that narrative in Baltimore.
That someone is Kyle Hamilton.
The 24-year-old Ravens star isn’t just a rising name — he’s already a two-time Pro Bowler, a First-Team All-Pro in 2023, and a Second-Team selection last season. Now, with the addition of rookie Malaki Starks allowing Hamilton to return to his natural strong safety role, experts believe he could be on the verge of his greatest season yet. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski has even named him a dark horse to win 2025 Defensive Player of the Year — a rare feat for any safety in the modern game.
"With Starks holding up his end of the bargain," Sobleski wrote, "Hamilton can resume being the best safety in the game on one of the NFL’s top squads."
And there's good reason to believe it. When fully unleashed, Hamilton is a game-wrecker — a player whose range, intelligence, and physicality transform the identity of a defense. His 2023 season, with four interceptions and a handful of momentum-shifting plays, reminded fans of what greatness looks like in the secondary.
While his 2024 stat line dipped to just one interception, it wasn’t for lack of impact — he played out of position most of the year. But with Baltimore’s first-round investment in Starks this offseason, the message is clear: Kyle Hamilton is going back to where he dominates.
Winning DPOY won’t be easy. He’ll have to compete with elite edge rushers and shutdown corners — the usual suspects. But if any safety can crack through that wall and bring the award home to Baltimore, it’s him.
And if he does?
He won’t just rewrite his own legacy. He’ll rewrite how the NFL sees safeties — and prove that in this town, defense still defines greatness.
Stay tuned to ESPN for updates.
