Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington has torn his Achilles tendon, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Tuesday, likely sidelining a key defensive contributor for the coming season.

Washington, who started 10 games during a breakout 2024, suffered the injury during offseason conditioning, according to the NFL Network, which first reported the injury. Even with the arrival of first-round pick Malaki Starks, Washington was expected to have a prominent role at safety.

Washington’s injury comes less than a month after he signed a one-year, $3.3 million restricted-free-agent tender. Washington had 64 tackles (five for loss), two interceptions, eight passes defended and a forced fumble last season, all career highs.

“Ar’Darius is a great example of a guy who got a chance and ran with it,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in January. “This year, he stayed healthy and he became that guy that we saw in college. He‘s tough, physical, a playmaker, instinctive, smart, a leader. He‘s a great story. Just another one of these undrafted guys over the years that we‘ve had that has developed into being a really good football player.”

The 5-foot-8 Washington has struggled with injuries over his career. He suffered a season-ending foot injury midway through his rookie year, then missed most of 2023 with a chest injury, limiting him to eight games over his first three seasons in Baltimore.

But after playing primarily in the slot, Washington moved to safety along with All-Pro Kyle Hamilton in the middle of last season. Their partnership helped stabilize a secondary that had struggled with Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson at safety.

In the Ravens’ seven games with Washington and Hamilton starting at safety, they allowed an NFL-best 171.6 passing yards per game and averaged an NFL-best 0.15 expected points added per drop-back on defense, according to TruMedia.

Washington’s injury not only robs the Ravens of a solid starter and popular locker room presence but also limits their flexibility with Starks and Hamilton, who’s most disruptive in the slot. Coach John Harbaugh had praised the trio’s versatility after the Ravens drafted Starks in the first round last month.

“The good news is, the offense isn’t going to know who’s going to be back there on any given play,” he said. “Not going to be able to line up and say, ‘OK, Kyle‘s going to be deep,’ or even, ‘Ar’Darius is going to be deep.’ Ar’Darius [and] all three of those guys can be on the field a lot or [cornerback] Marlon [Humphrey]. Marlon can go back and can play deep if we wanted him to, but really now, it’s those three guys as interchangeable parts playing any one of those four positions in there. That’s pretty exciting.”

With Washington sidelined, the Ravens could look in-house or to the free-agent market for help. Safeties Beau Brade and Sanoussi Kane contributed primarily on special teams as rookies, but they could take a step forward in Year 2 under the tutelage of first-year senior secondary coach Chuck Pagano. The Ravens could also bring in Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon or Jordan Whitehead on a one-year, prove-it deal, as they did with Jackson last season.