With the Ravens completing their third practice of training camp in Owings Mills on Friday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The defense easily won the day with Malaki Starks intercepting Lamar Jackson on a desperation fourth-down throw to conclude the practice. The pass rush largely dominated the offensive line, but Anthony Weaver reminded, “I don’t think anything’s really real until we put the pads on.” That happens next week.
2. Even when having opportunities, the offense had very little rhythm with a prime example being Jackson underthrowing a deep ball to Rashod Bateman, who had a step on Nate Wiggins. The third-year corner was able to recover and contest the catch, and Bateman failed to come down with it.
3. Trey Hendrickson was one of those wreaking havoc in the pocket and has made a strong impression. It’s remarkable how he’s gone from playing with Drew Brees to Joe Burrow to Jackson. “When you are motivated to get No. 8 the ball back, it makes it a little easier.”
4. I’m interested to see if Jesse Minter deploys Tavius Robinson as a hybrid inside-outside rusher in the way Dre’Mont Jones was previously used. Despite the disappointing performance of the pass rush last year, it’s easy to forget Robinson took a solid step with 4 1/2 sacks in 10 games.
5. Still without any competition, Tyler Loop went a perfect 3-for-3 in his first field goals of training camp with the long coming from 56 yards. Anthony Levine said, “The most important thing he’s doing right now is taking coaching and just having the confidence that he has in himself.”
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6. After being one of last summer’s feel-good stories as a rookie free agent, Keyon Martin isn’t taking anything for granted and showed sticky coverage multiple times in a red-zone period. The fifth-round selection of Chandler Rivers probably didn’t help his roster standing, but the 5-foot-9, 171-pound Martin plays tough.
7. Weaver has definitely noticed with the former Miami defensive coordinator recalling how the Dolphins hosted Martin as part of a local pro day last year before they failed to land the Fort Lauderdale native. With a big smile, Weaver quipped, “We f—ed that up, right?”
8. Baltimore’s physically unable to perform list shrunk with Adisa Isaac (elbow) and Bilhal Kone (knee) being activated. Both suffered season-ending injuries last August, so this will be a critical summer for their roster hopes. Travis Jones, John Jenkins, and Teddye Buchanan remain on the PUP list for now.
9. Coordinators typically relay plays with a walkie-talkie during practices, so it’s been interesting to see Declan Doyle wearing the sideline headset for portions of practice. It’s hardly a secret that he’s never called plays before, so he’s trying to simulate those game situations as much as possible.
10. Doyle hasn’t decided whether he’ll call plays from the upstairs booth or the sideline, so he plans to be in the booth for the preseason opener and then the sideline for the second game in Minnesota before ultimately making a decision for the regular season. He’s an impressive young coach.
11. News of Broderick Washington and Andrew Vorhees taking pay cuts was hardly surprising as both dramatically improved their chances of remaining on the roster with lower cap numbers. Washington has remained popular with coaches over the years while you could do worse than Vorhees as a backup with starting experience.
12. It’s cool seeing Pernell McPhee back in the building as he and fellow ex-Raven Haruki Nakamura are part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship. After coaching at Michigan the last couple years, McPhee strikes me as someone who could really help second-round rookie Zion Young.
