With the Ravens concluding their three-day mandatory minicamp in Owings Mills on Thursday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Thursday’s practice was shorter and slower as on-field workouts concluded until the start of training camp in roughly six weeks. As Marlon Humphrey said, “This is the year of just proving it. … I think we’ve got a lot of good players, but, to me, I just want to prove it.”
2. Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t participate after being under the weather, according to John Harbaugh. Ronnie Stanley sat out the final two days of minicamp as a precautionary measure after he got stepped on during Tuesday’s practice. Harbaugh said he was fine with Stanley playing it safe.
3. With Harbaugh saying J.K. Dobbins not taking part “just wasn’t in the cards apparently” and Dobbins pondering his future earlier this month, it doesn’t take a big leap for one to suspect his contract status was the driving force. The start of training camp should be interesting.
4. After working at left guard with the starting offensive line all week, sixth-round pick Sala Aumavae-Laulu received praise from Harbaugh and is “in the mix right now” for that job. Veteran Kevin Zeitler praised the rookie’s attitude and athleticism. “I can’t wait to see what he does with it.”
5. Ex-Raven Anthony Averett indirectly offered an assist to Baltimore by telling Rock Ya-Sin all about the team culture when the two teamed in Las Vegas last season. Humphrey likes Ya-Sin’s toughness and physicality, saying they’re “kind of built from the same cloth.” The newcomer had a solid spring.
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6. Practice highlights were scarce on Thursday, but Charlie Kolar made an impressive touchdown catch against Roquan Smith in coverage during a 7-on-7 red-zone period. The result drew cheers from teammates and came on a throw over the middle from Lamar Jackson.
7. Rookie fifth-round cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly intercepted a Tyler Huntley pass during an 11-on-11 period. Given the lack of established outside cornerback depth behind Humphrey and Ya-Sin, there’s an opportunity for someone like Blu Kelly to shoot up the depth chart.
8. Humphrey and Kevon Seymour also registered pass breakups while nose tackle Michael Pierce tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage, continuing the theme of the defense getting plenty of hands on the football during spring workouts. To no surprise, the new offense remains a work in progress.
9. The Ravens appeared to avoid major injury during minicamp, but Kyle Hamilton had a brief scare when he went down with a left leg issue. He received some attention from trainers and sat out for a bit, but the second-year safety later returned to practice without any trouble.
10. The 33-year-old Zeitler doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon and isn’t making too much of this being a contract year. “When I’m here with my teammates, I owe it to them to work hard every day and do whatever we can to try to get this team a Super Bowl.”
11. The Ravens hardly need more wide receivers at the bottom of the roster, but tryout player Michael Bandy was a fun story by making a number of catches and being very active. He appeared in 10 games for the Chargers last season and played in the XFL in the spring.
12. Asked about the progress of rookie Tavius Robinson this spring, Mike Macdonald offered a quote that summarizes spring workouts nicely.“It’s hard to evaluate until the pads come on. Right now, it’s how you do it with the speed and assignment.” The real competition begins next month.
