With the Ravens conducting their third full-team workout of training camp on Tuesday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. “Every time I thought I was pretty healthy, it seemed like I got hurt the next game.” After missing significant portions of 10 contests last season, a leaner Marlon Humphrey has revamped his diet and preparation. Carrying a $25.1 million cap number next year, he knows 2024 will be pivotal.
2. Kyle Hamilton had some fun at his teammate’s expense when asked about Humphrey’s weight loss. “He was getting a little gut last year. He wasn’t playing a lot. He just had a little chunkiness, but he dropped it.” A healthy Humphrey and Hamilton give Baltimore two dynamic nickel options.
3. Don’t say that too loud around Arthur Maulet, who pulled in a highlight interception on a deep pass intended for Nelson Agholor and did some pushups on the sideline after missing out on a second. He’s been consistently making plays on the ball dating back to spring workouts.
Have a camp @ArthurMaulet2
pic.twitter.com/9GC7vvJOgU— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 23, 2024
4. Lamar Jackson (illness) missed his third straight practice with John Harbaugh saying, “It’s just a matter of when the doctors are going to clear him, and he’s going to feel good enough.” An odd beginning to camp, but Jackson also missed the start of camp in 2021 after contracting COVID-19.
5. Josh Johnson is receiving first-team reps in Jackson’s absence, but he hasn’t been seeing the field particularly well against a tough defense. At one point during Tuesday’s practice, a couple defensive backs were unhappy that he kept holding the ball since the defense can’t hit the quarterback in practice.
6. Rashod Bateman had another impressive day with a circus catch against tight coverage from Humphrey and another long gain on a short catch and run. It’ll be interesting to see if Bateman’s early-camp momentum continues when Jackson returns to the practice field.
7. Justin Madubuike appears to be in great shape and will try to build on his career-high 13 sacks. Considering the questions about the edge rush depth and how multiple this defense likes to be anyway, might Madubuike rush from the outside a little more a la Kansas City’s Chris Jones?
8. Daniel Faalele had made cameos as a guard in past offseasons, but this marks the first time he’s practiced extensively at right guard, which isn’t the typical position for a 6-foot-8, 380-pound lineman. It’s still very early, of course, but Harbaugh complimented Faalele’s “very good feet for his size.”
9. One shouldn’t make too much of trench battles when the pads haven’t even come on, but Harbaugh “had to pull the reins in on” Odafe Oweh, who had another good day at the edge. As noted Monday, we’ve seen this from Oweh in the past, but it’s still a positive.
10. The 6-foot-7 Brent Urban has gotten his hands on a few passes as he’s apt to do. After Urban suffered a torn ACL early in his first camp in 2014 and tore his biceps in camp a year later, who would have predicted he’d still be playing a decade later?
11. The pre-snap penalties that plagued the offense in spring workouts have carried over to the start of camp with Charlie Kolar among those who have had to run for committing multiple false starts. There’s a path to some playing time if Kolar can develop more as an in-line tight end.
12. Though Jackson’s absence has tamped down the early-camp energy, the Ravens have managed to avoid any health concerns over the first few days as they ramp up slowly. Ben Cleveland was laboring at one point during Tuesday’s workout, but he was eventually able to return to action.
