A depleted Ravens secondary that ranks last in the NFL defending the pass has even more personnel intrigue: Ar’Darius Washington started at safety in place of Marcus Williams on Sunday in Baltimore’s 29-24 loss to the Browns.

Coach John Harbaugh called it a “personnel decision” that would be kept internal with the caveat he hopes Williams will return to the field this season.

Williams had started all seven games at safety, ranking sixth on the Ravens in tackles (25) with two pass deflections and a fumble recovery. But he’s struggled this year along with the secondary, ranking 76th among safeties with a 46.8 grade in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

The 28-year-old Williams, who signed a five-year, $70 million free agent deal in 2022, had played 98% of the defensive snaps entering Sunday but remained on the sideline without a helmet during the entirety of the game.

Washington, a 2021 undrafted free agent, has been a limited contributor, playing 31% of the defensive snaps entering Sunday.

He missed most of last season with a chest injury suffered in Week 2.

A healthy Washington logged a pass deflection against the Kansas City Chiefs, a season-high six tackles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and three tackles against the Browns.

He started next to Kyle Hamilton — who salvaged Baltimore’s slow start with a strip-sack late in the second quarter that led to a touchdown and 10-6 halftime lead but dropped a would-be interception late in the fourth quarter — as the Ravens’ five-game winning streak hit a brick wall.

“I mean we just have to get better,” Washington said. “We really got to catch the ones that they throw to us. We had a couple chances to end the game. … That’s kind of how it is.”

Washington himself got stuck out of position on a critical third-and-7 conversion to Elijah Moore that set up Cleveland’s eventual game-winning touchdown. “I should’ve been in a little tighter to him and made that play,” he said.

Baltimore’s defense was already without Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) at cornerback. Outside linebacker David Ojabo, a 2022 second-round draft pick, was also a healthy scratch. The secondary has been a contentious area for a defense trying to live up to its league-leading group from a year ago.

In Cleveland, the Ravens faced quarterback Jameis Winston making his first start since 2022 with play-calling duties having been handed off from coach Kevin Stefanski to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this week on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

“We’re kind of looking at it as a blessing in disguise, because what we’ve trying to preach the last couple weeks is we obviously have got to know our opponent, know the personnel to have the best plan to defeat them,” first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr said on Thursday. “But it’s really about us and our rules and our fundamentals and playing that.”

On Sunday, the secondary’s struggles took center stage conceding 334 yards through the air on the wrong side of Cleveland’s highest-scoring output of the season. Four receivers finished with 60 or more yards, each averaging double-digit yards per catch.

How much did a depleted defense impact the loss?

“I mean, it’s impossible to really put a metric on that,” Harbaugh said. “It’s obviously a factor, but I appreciate the guys going in there [and] playing, fighting and competing. Love our guys, and I thought that they competed out there — the guys that were out there playing in those spots.”

Added cornerback Brandon Stephens: “I think our communication was good this game. We definitely had our plays and gave up some explosives, but I think we’re good with communication. We just have to execute better — plain and simple.”

Ravens defensive lineman Brent Urban was also ruled out with a concussion in the second quarter. The veteran has played in five games this season, lining up for 26% of the defensive snaps. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce also exited in the second quarter with a calf injury. He walked off the field with trainers but was later ruled out for the game.

“We’re very confident in our guys — we always are,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve played great defense, and we’ll keep working, and we’ll put up some good defensive games — I’ll promise you that.”

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