Paid Advertisement

Twelve Ravens Thoughts following second day of joint practice with Washington

Paid Advertisement

Podcast Audio Vault

8

Paid Advertisement

With the Ravens concluding their second and final day of joint practice with the Washington Commanders in Owings Mills on Wednesday, Iโ€™ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:

1. I recently said this was the most unsettled the cornerback position has felt at this point in a season since the days of Chykie Brown and Asa Jackson. With Marlon Humphrey now sidelined after undergoing foot surgery, dare I ask what Rashaan Melvin is up to these days? 

2. For what itโ€™s worth, Brandon Stephens and Kevon Seymour held up fairly well on the outside against Washingtonโ€™s talented receivers, but itโ€™s wild to think someone who had moved back to safety in the early summer and a veteran special-teams contributor are currently running as the starting corners. 

3. The cornerback picture will improve once Rock Ya-Sin returns to practice and begins stacking reps, but I canโ€™t help but wonder if Humphreyโ€™s absence increases the likelihood of Mike Macdonald using Kyle Hamilton at the nickel with Geno Stone then playing safety. Hamilton continues to have a good summer. 

4. Focusing on the Ravens defense, I thought Baltimoreโ€™s starters were clearly better than the Commandersโ€™ first-team offense with the biggest advantage coming at the line of scrimmage. The pressure was so heavy against a poor offensive line that coaches instructed the trench players to go at half-speed later in practice.

5. After watching Commanders quarterback Sam Howell settle for underneath throws throughout practice, I would have preferred seeing how Washington backup Jacoby Brissett would have tested a banged-up secondary. He looked like the better quarterback, but his lack of mobility behind that porous line would have been a problem. 

6. Wednesday brought more fights with the first occurring during a trench drill in which Justin Madubuike and Odafe Oweh were involved. The second came during an 11-on-11 period when Patrick Queen got into a scuffle with guard Sam Cosmi. That one prompted Ron Rivera to lecture his Washington players. 

7. These scuffles are typically much ado about nothing, but Michael Pierce was favoring his ankle after the first dust-up. Fortunately, he was able to return to action after being taped up and looked to be fine. You never want to see someone get hurt during such shenanigans. 

8. During a 7-on-7 red-zone period, the starting defense kept Washington out of the end zone, which is impressive for a drill that favors the offense. The Ravens can endure Humphreyโ€™s absence if their inside linebackers and safeties play up to expectations in coverage like they did in that drill. 

9. Madubuike and David Ojabo were problems for Washingtonโ€™s offensive line. The defensive tackle pressured the pocket and blew up a screen pass for a loss while Ojabo was credited with a sack during a full-team drill. Thatโ€™s what you want to see against one of the NFLโ€™s worst offensive lines. 

10. A factor overlooked in Tyus Bowserโ€™s absence is the need to find another Sam linebacker with ability to play in coverage. The versatile Malik Harrison is the most likely incumbent at the moment, but he surrendered a touchdown to Jonathan Williams from Brissett in a 7-on-7 drill.  

11. Rashod Bateman and Ronnie Stanley both sat out Wednesday, but John Harbaugh said the third-year receiver didnโ€™t suffer a setback and remains โ€œon scheduleโ€ ramping up. Stanley was signing post-practice autographs a day after Harbaugh said theyโ€™re managing his workload, but the left tackle didnโ€™t speak with reporters as scheduled. 

12. Itโ€™ll be interesting to see if thereโ€™s any carryover from fights over the last two days to Mondayโ€™s game, but the teams now have five days to cool off. Either way, most Baltimore starters wonโ€™t be involved as Harbaugh confirmed a plan for playing time similar to the preseason opener. 

Share the Post:

Paid Advertisement

Right Now in Baltimore

Dropping the puck - and the NHL gloves for the red, white and blue

If you're not a hockey fan, the games this week have probably come to you at some point with the NHL prepping for Olympic ice time with a mini-tournament in lieu of a traditional All Star Game. Leonard Raskin andโ€ฆ

Flying instead of Truckin' to Vegas for Dead & Company

The first days are the hardest days so Curio Wellness has put together a fun excursion contest to Las Vegas to see Dead & Company at The Sphere. Signing up for rewards is fun and easy and Nestor asks Wendyโ€ฆ

Spring training hopes and Canadian Opening Day dreams

It's always fun talking baseball after a long winter. With the Baltimore Orioles on the field showing new faces and dispatching images of spring training baseball from Sarasota, Luke Jones and Nestor prepare for the season ahead and the uniqueโ€ฆ

Paid Advertisement

Verified by MonsterInsights