Ravens rookie safety Haruki Nakamura slowly got dressed in front of the same corner locker he shares with rookie safety Tom Zbikowski at M&T Bank Stadium after a 10-9 loss to the Falcons ended their preseason.
Nakamura waited for Zbikowski to go first, then sat back into the wooden locker to put on his shoes and socks.
But his mind wasn’t on the game or what he’d do after it.
It was focused on making the 53-man roster.
“This is one of those businesses where they take the people who perform,” he said. “It’s a good thing because it elevates everyone’s play. It’s a great competition and we have helped each other along during the preseason.”
Two days later, the Ravens released 19 players, but his name wasn’t among them.
The Ravens’ opened training camp with a combined 14 safeties and cornerbacks and just two — cornerbacks Ronnie Prude (waived) and David Pittman (waived) — did not receive a roster spot.
But the unit needs all the help it can get, as it was ravaged by injuries last season. The secondary ranked 20th out of 32 teams in passing defense last season, allowing an average of 222.3 passing yards per game. The entire defense yielded just over 306 yards, but allowed more than 24 points per game.
The Ravens kept seven cornerbacks — starters Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and veterans Frank Walker and Fabian Washington who the team acquired in the offseason, along with Derrick Martin, Corey Ivy and Evan Oglesby.
The team’s five safeties are starters Ed Reed and Dawan Landry and backups Tom Zbikowski, Jim Leonhard and Nakamura.
McAlister and Rolle are both former Pro Bowlers, but have been hampered by injuries throughout the preseason. McAlister still is bothered by a right knee injury that caused him to miss eight games last season. Rolle missed 10 games last season due to epilepsy and was absent for the start of training camp due to the death of his father. He also is trying to rebound from a left leg injury.
The additions of Walker and Washington, however, give the Ravens experienced backups for the first time in several seasons.
At safety, Reed, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year who made a team-high seven interceptions last season, is suffering from a nerve impingement in his neck and shoulder,
Landry didn’t make an interception last season, but was one of the team leaders in tackles with 82. Zbikowski, Leonhard and Nakamura will be counted on to make large contributions on special teams and in passing situations.
“Teams turnaround and improve all the time,” Landry said. “Whatever happens, happens. We just have to keep fighting.”
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