A Flacco surfaces on practice field for Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Joe Flacco won’t be ready until training camp and wouldn’t have been anywhere near the practice field for Ravens rookie camp anyway, but the family was still represented on Saturday.
Continuing to pursue an NFL career after brief opportunities with San Diego and Jacksonville, tight end Mike Flacco, the younger brother of the Super Bowl XLVII MVP, was a tryout participant for Baltimore this weekend. The Ravens have a very deep group of tight ends on their offseason roster, but the 29-year-old can’t help but think about having the opportunity to catch passes from his older brother.
“That’d be a dream if I could make it that long,” said Mike Flacco, who played his college football at New Haven. “Just day by day and try to give it all I’ve got.”
Of course, this weekend’s tryout isn’t Mike Flacco’s only link to Baltimore sports as he was drafted by the Orioles in the 31st round of the 2009 draft out of CCBC-Catonsville. Primarily a first baseman, he advanced as high as Double-A Bowie before being traded to the Boston Red Sox and electing to retire from professional baseball in 2013 with a career .253 average.
In 2013 with Division II New Haven, Mike Flacco caught 30 passes for 591 yards and nine touchdowns. He was signed by the Chargers the following spring but cut at the end of the 2014 preseason. The Jaguars then signed him to their practice squad in October 2014, but he only stuck with that organization for a few weeks.
The 6-foot-5, 251-pound tight end has only received a few tryouts since then, but he isn’t ready to give up on the possibility of a football career just yet.
“It’s been long. It’s been all over the place,” said Mike Flacco about his athletic endeavors. “Unfortunately, I’ve never quite gotten to the point where I want to yet. You just push and if it happens, it happens. If not, I’ll go back to school and I’ll be happy.”
He has been pursuing a degree in chemical engineering at Villanova.
His chances of receiving an extended look with the Ravens beyond this weekend are remote, but that didn’t stop him from showing off some athletic ability on Saturday as he caught a long pass in 1-on-1 drills and made a few other receptions during the practice session.
“It’s been great. Mike is a great kid,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He does move a little bit like Joe. The body mechanics, a little bit, are similar, so it’s fun to watch.”
Two draft picks sidelined
Third-round defensive end Bronson Kaufusi was the only member of Baltimore’s 2016 draft class not on the field during Saturday’s practice open to media.
“Bronson tweaked his back a little bit yesterday,” Harbaugh said. “He was out here yesterday practicing, did a good job, and strained his lower back a little. He’s not practicing today.”
Fourth-round running back Kenneth Dixon only observed Saturday’s practice as he continues to deal with a hamstring issue stemming from his March pro day.
Harbaugh also announced that fullback Trevon Pendleton, a tryout player from Michigan State, suffered a broken foot on Friday.
No joint training camp practices this year
Harbaugh confirmed that the Ravens would not have any joint practices with another team this summer.
Baltimore hosted San Francisco in Owings Mills two years ago and traveled to Philadelphia to practice against the Eagles ahead of their preseason meeting last August.