With the Ravens holding a practice at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon and counting down to Thursday’s preseason opener, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The day after Baltimore waived competitor John Hoyland, Tyler Loop earned an “A++” from John Harbaugh for perfect kicking that included a make from 60 yards and another from 56. The 24-year-old exudes confidence and looked the part in front of an announced crowd of 26,052, a nice step.
2. That’s not to say Loop has cemented his job because Harbaugh has always said it’ll come down to how the sixth-round rookie kicker performs in games. If Loop struggles with a couple misses against Indianapolis, you’d assume the Rolodex comes out with a veteran on call at the very least.
3. The stadium practice is an opportunity for rookies to get their bearings to calm inevitable nerves ahead of the preseason opener. It also serves as a nice changeup for the many veterans who will sit out Thursday’s contest. For them, Tuesday’s joint practice brings the most valuable work of camp.
4. With not even Justice Hill playing in last year’s preseason, Keaton Mitchell figures to be the top running back to see action on Thursday. He flashed his impressive speed Sunday with a catch and run for a touchdown on a Cooper Rush screen pass during a red-zone period.
5. Not to be outdone, Derrick Henry caught a long pass from Lamar Jackson on a wheel route with Trenton Simpson in coverage. The 31-year-old had only 19 receptions last year and a costly drop at Buffalo, but occasionally throwing to Henry out of the backfield is a great tendency breaker.
6. Given the questions about the defensive line depth behind Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington, re-signing Brent Urban to compete for a roster spot was always a possibility. He didn’t pick No. 58 himself, but it still serves as a nice nod to retired teammate and friend Michael Pierce.
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7. Any sixth-round rookie is hardly a lock, but LaJohntay Wester shows much confidence in himself and displayed good footwork getting down inbounds for a touchdown from Rush in a 7-on-7 period. Tylan Wallace remains a punt return option if necessary, but Wester and Dayton Wade should get extensive preseason looks.
8. The preseason often produces a long-shot receiver that excites fans. It was Dayton Wade last year, Shemar Bridges a few summers ago, and Jeremy Butler a decade ago. This year’s pick is Xavier Guillory, who had a good practice Sunday and is a popular target of Rush and Devin Leary.
9. Andrew Vorhees has to hold on to the left guard spot, but Harbaugh confirmed it’s his job to lose with Ben Cleveland trailing. That’s not a big surprise given the distribution of first-team snaps we’ve seen since the spring, but I’d still expect Vorhees to play some in preseason games.
10. Pre-snap penalties have been an early problem as the offense works on varying its cadence, so it was fitting that the first 11-on-11 rep at the stadium practice brought a false start from Roger Rosengarten. In recent practices, coaches have been pulling the offending party from the next rep.
11. With the Ravens likely not wanting to play Keaton Mitchell extensively Thursday, they needed another back with rookie Marcus Major in concussion protocol. D’Ernest Johnson — who was good for Cleveland a few years ago — signed Sunday and immediately took reps. Players in that spot learn the playbook as they go.
12. Despite hopes that third-round offensive tackle Emery Jones would be ready by now, Harbaugh said doctors still haven’t cleared him from offseason shoulder surgery. If he’s not practicing relatively soon, Baltimore could consider keeping him on the non-football injury list to open the season, which would create a roster spot.
