With the Ravens holding their sixth full-squad practice and first padded workout of training camp on Tuesday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Kevin Zeitler left the field with a foot issue midway through practice, continuing the run of early-camp absences on offense. With Ronnie Stanley still not practicing and Alejandro Villanueva receiving a veteran day off, you can probably imagine what that meant for the rest of the offensive line — and quarterbacks.
2. That shuffling has led to a bit of a trial by fire for new center Bradley Bozeman to communicate with various teammates at the line of scrimmage. He seems to be acclimating well, and his shotgun snaps haven’t been an issue since the first practice.
3. A day after sitting out with what John Harbaugh called “muscle tightness,” Rashod Bateman was back at practice and made an excellent grab on a crossing route with Marlon Humphrey in tight press coverage during an 11-on-11 period. The rookie first-round pick’s overall participation appeared to be limited though.
4. Calais Campbell continued his good start to camp with a dominant showing in pads that made multiple members of the offensive line look bad. Turning 35 next month, the six-time Pro Bowl selection hasn’t practiced like the typical veteran who can go through the motions this time of year.
5. Offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and the Ravens won’t hand him the starting left guard job, but Ben Cleveland turned in a strong practice. At one point, the third-round pick from Georgia made an impressive trap block on fellow rookie Odafe Oweh in a full-team rep.
6. Ben Mason had to be itching for the opportunity to put on the pads and took advantage with aggressive blocks that led to post-play run-ins with linebackers Jaylon Ferguson and Patrick Queen. It’s exactly what the fifth-round rookie fullback needed after a very quiet start to camp.
7. The chippiness continued with James Proche and DeShon Elliott jawing back and forth on the way back to their respective sidelines after competing on a deep route. A few teammates had to calm Elliott down, but occasional exchanges like that are inevitable when the pads go on.
8. Depth concerns at offensive tackle remain, but credit Patrick Mekari for the way he competes at left tackle, the spot he played Tuesday. D’Alessandris noted how valuable his ability to play all five line positions can be if you have multiple in-game injuries and only a couple active reserves.
9. Trying to draw early conclusions on offense hasn’t been easy with so many absences, but J.K. Dobbins is flashing the suddenness and hands required to be an impact receiver out of the backfield. How this looks with Lamar Jackson back on the field will be far more telling, however.
10. While other young players recovering from serious knee injuries such as Iman Marshall and Jake Breeland remain sidelined, it’s good to see Otaro Alaka back on the field. Injuries have derailed the initial promise shown by the former undrafted inside linebacker, but Alaka filled nicely to stuff a run play.
11. It’s easy to lament the early ailments Harbaugh refers to as “camp stuff,” but things could be worse. Indianapolis has already lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz and All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson indefinitely to the same foot injury. Surgery could keep both out for their Week 5 trip to Baltimore.
12. Harbaugh opened his post-practice press conference by paying tribute to late Ravens vice president of security Darren Sanders, who died of cancer at age 55 last month. Sanders had been with the organization since 2004 and was a prominent member of the Baltimore City Police Department before that.
