The start of modern NFL training camp often resembles spring workouts due to a slower ramp-up period and the absence of full pads, but that’s about to change for the Ravens.
After an uneventful first four days of full-squad practices — not a bad thing, mind you — and Sunday’s respite, Baltimore will practice in pads for the first time on Monday afternoon. That will signal the start of more meaningful observations and competition with the threat of contact serving as a separator that leads some players to stand out after quiet starts and others to wilt after previously shining practicing in shorts.
“It’s going to be exciting to see. That will be the first time,” head coach John Harbaugh said after Saturday night’s practice at M&T Bank Stadium. “The biggest thing to look for with practice is how the guys handle the mental part of it. All of a sudden, they’ve got something more to think about — the physical part of it — and not let it be too big for you. They’ll [need to] handle the assignments, the cadence, being in the right place and stuff.”
Of course, full pads and contact bring a greater risk of injury, but the Ravens have mostly avoided new health concerns in the early days of camp. Other than rookie tight end Charlie Kolar undergoing surgery for a sports hernia that dated back to his college days and third-year wide receiver Devin Duvernay sustaining a minor thigh bruise in a collision with safety Chuck Clark during Saturday’s practice, Baltimore is simply waiting for several key players to return from major injuries suffered last year.
The Ravens are also waiting on second-year guard Ben Cleveland to come off the active non-football injury list and make his camp debut. As of Saturday evening, the 2021 third-round pick still hadn’t passed the conditioning test that’s a required part of the team’s entry physical. And while the 6-foot-6, 357-pound Cleveland is hardly the first Ravens player to have difficulty in that department over the years, it’s led to him falling behind Ben Powers and Tyre Phillips in the starting left guard competition in the meantime.
“He’s been struggling with that part of it,” Harbaugh said. “We’re not going to put a player out there until he can do [the conditioning test]. We think it’s that important. I know he can do it; he’s going to do it. He’s just got to get out there and get it done.”
In addition to the absences of Kolar and Cleveland, the Ravens have continued to practice without the following players remaining on the active physically unable to perform list: outside linebacker Tyus Bowser (Achilles tendon), running backs J.K. Dobbins (knee) and Gus Edwards (knee), cornerback Marcus Peters (knee), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee), and safety Ar’Darius Washington (foot). Second-round outside linebacker David Ojabo (Achilles) is the only 2022 draft pick — for the Ravens and in the NFL — yet to sign his rookie deal and is expected to be placed on the active NFI list whenever that occurs.
