With the Ravens entering their final week of voluntary organized team activities in Owings Mills, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Asked about Lamar Jackson attending only one OTA thus far, John Harbaugh said he measures how individuals play rather than their attendance and noted how “fantastic” his quarterback looked on May 28. Of course, any coach has to say that since workouts are voluntary. The Ravens obviously want Jackson there.
2. Admittedly, I care little about Jackson skipping OTAs after the two-time MVP did the same last spring ahead of arguably his best season, but Zay Flowers saying Jackson “wants to do a lot more team stuff” to build camaraderie rings hollow as he’s absent. One can’t have it both ways.
3. The inferior quarterback play without Jackson is a given, but the energy level is noticeably lower when he isn’t on the field. Of course, we’d say the same about Ray Lewis and Ed Reed skipping spring practices years ago. At least new backup Cooper Rush is getting more reps.
4. It’s been a rocky beginning for Rush with Malaki Starks and Nate Wiggins both intercepting him during Friday’s workout. While it’s good to see each of your last two first-round picks flashing that playmaking ability, Rush has been quite erratic throwing the football.
5. The skinny Wiggins says he gained 10 pounds and now weighs 185 after eating plenty of steak and protein mashed potatoes this offseason. His weight gain isn’t nearly as noticeable as Odafe Oweh’s transformation, so it’ll be interesting to see if Wiggins can keep the weight on.
6. The early reviews on Tyler Loop have been positive with Harbaugh noting every kick Friday being “right down the middle,” which included a 60-yard field goal that had room to spare. Of course, we’re still a ways away from the rookie kicker being in a more pressured environment.
8
7. It’s been 15 years since Chuck Pagano was a secondary coach, but the 64-year-old still exudes an energy making it easy to see why Baltimore was thrilled to bring him back. Knowing what he meant to Ed Reed’s career beginning at Miami, Pagano working with Kyle Hamilton should be fun.
8. This is the time of year for position tweaks with one of the noticeable experiments being Jalyn Armour-Davis taking some safety reps. You’d still expect the Ravens to add a veteran safety to go with Hamilton and Starks, but they’re mixing and matching with other defensive backs in the meantime.
9. Though his path to backfield carries isn’t easy behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell looking more like his old — and very fast — self is going to make it difficult not to try to get him the football. He sounded quite enthused about becoming an impact kick returner, however.
10. Speaking of individuals trying to climb the depth chart, Devontez Walker had a strong second week of OTAs with a touchdown on a corner route and a number of good catches. He took advantage of Baltimore’s top three wide receivers skipping Friday’s workout.
11. The path for a rookie free agent to make this roster appears as difficult as ever, but Tennessee-Chattanooga cornerback Reuben Lowery has made plays on the ball and had an interception return for a touchdown against Devin Leary on Friday. We’ll see if he continues flashing as business picks up.
12. There’s always a blurred line between instruction and competition in spring. A prime example of that was Travis Jones batting and intercepting a pass during an 11-on-11 period that wasn’t full speed. It drew the ire of Ronnie Stanley, who was more concerned with the offense running through the play.
