OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Their two high-profile rookie wide receivers working on the practice fields was a welcome sight for the Ravens in their final week of organized team activities.
Marquise Brown hasn’t yet returned to practice as he continues rehabbing his surgically-repaired foot, but the first-round pick completed agility work on the far field and caught passes from the Jugs machine, encouraging signs for his anticipated practice debut at the start of training camp next month. Third-round selection Miles Boykin was a limited participant in Thursday’s voluntary workout after being sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained early in the spring. The Ravens are counting on the speedy Brown and the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Boykin to bring diverse play-making ability to a developing passing game.
Boykin’s return, however, was offset by the absence of 2018 first-round pick tight end Hayden Hurst, who had performed well in each of the first two OTA days open to reporters. Baltimore hopes to have him back on the field for next week’s three-day mandatory minicamp that concludes spring workouts.
“He tweaked his hamstring about two weeks ago,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “Then, he kept, not tweaking it, but he was pushing it so hard that I finally pulled him out. Let’s get this thing ready for minicamp, and we’ll be fine.”
Running back Kenneth Dixon was also present and working after not being on the field for either of the previous two Thursday sessions open to media. The fourth-year veteran made it clear to reporters at the start of practice that he hadn’t been dealing with an injury, directing an expletive at anyone who had reported as much.
Others present for the voluntary workout who missed last Thursday were left tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Brandon Carr, defensive tackle Gerald Willis, and linebackers Otaro Alaka and Alvin Jones.
A total of 13 players were not participating in the voluntary workout, a list including Brown, Hurst, wide receiver Seth Roberts, guards Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis (shoulder), safeties Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson (ankle), linebackers Matthew Judon and Pernell McPhee, defensive tackle Michael Pierce, and cornerbacks Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, and Cyrus Jones.
Along with Judon, Pierce is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a time when many players around the NFL choose to forgo voluntary workouts to keep themselves healthy and sometimes even send a message to management.
“I can’t wait to see him back here and just to be playing alongside my brother again,” defensive tackle Brandon Williams said. “I expect big things out of him. I told him, ‘Let’s get paid this year. Let’s go out there and ball out and get the bag.’ Everybody wants that second contract, so let’s get him one.”
No missing McCoy
Thursday was the first time Harbaugh was available to reporters since six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy spurned interest from the Ravens and Cleveland to sign a one-year deal with Carolina.
After telling McCoy he felt like he’d always been a Raven during his free-agent visit last week, the 12th-year head coach expressed great confidence in his current defensive line that must replace the interior pass-rush ability of free-agent departures Za’Darius Smith and Brent Urban. The Ravens were hoping to add someone who’s collected six or more sacks in six straight seasons.
“He’s a good player. We went after him, tried to get him, and he didn’t want to be here,” Harbaugh said. “He wanted to be somewhere else. I’ll move on and forget about him until we play him. And I don’t think we play Carolina, do we? So, I’m not worried about him.”
“As far as our defensive line, I think it’s the same thing I said about the linebackers. I’m not worried one bit about any of our players on defense or offense. I’m not worried at all. We have a great roster. We have a young roster.”
Former Navy coach visits Ravens
Former Navy and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson was a visitor at Thursday’s practice and talked shop with the Ravens coaching staff in the afternoon.
Harbaugh expressed admiration for the retired coach and noted that Johnson used the same triple-option offense his father Jack Harbaugh ran at Western Kentucky. Johnson, 61, led the Midshipmen from 2002-07 and coached at Georgia Tech for the last decade before announcing his retirement last November.
“It’s always an opportunity to learn football,” Harbaugh said. “We’re sometimes teaching, always learning, and we have a chance to learn and ask a lot of questions and to expand what we’re doing, get a couple ideas maybe here and there, and a couple of ways to say things here and there and all of that.”
