The Ravens had their third day of training camp Friday in Owings Mills. Here’s what you need to know.
Attendance
Did not participate: Running back J.K. Dobbins (physically unable to perform list), fullback Patrick Ricard (hip, PUP list), wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman (soreness, PUP list), left tackle Ronnie Stanley, outside linebacker Tyus Bowser (soreness, non-football-injury list), cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams (ankle, PUP list) and cornerback Trayvon Mullen (NFI list).
Notes: After practice, the Ravens released Mullen for a “failure to disclose [his] physical condition,” according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Mullen, a cousin of quarterback Lamar Jackson and a former second-round pick, signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Ravens in March but didn’t practice in camp.
Flowers, who missed mandatory minicamp in June while dealing with a soft-tissue injury, didn’t appear to be in any discomfort when he spoke with reporters after Thursday’s practice. Ravens coaches gave Stanley days off last year as he finished his ankle rehabilitation.
Wide receiver Tarik Black, who left practice early Thursday with an apparent injury, and cornerback Jordan Swann, who left early Wednesday, returned to action Friday.
With the sweltering heat, the second- and third-string players got more repetitions than usual.
Offense
- Unofficially, quarterback Lamar Jackson finished 19-for-28 in team drills, his accuracy fading late after a strong start. He went 14-for-20 in 11-on-11 work and 5-for-8 in seven-on-seven action.
- Ravens wide receiver James Proche II, who’s fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, made an acrobatic one-handed catch in the opening 11-on-11 period, reaching above his head to snag a pass from Jackson as he tumbled to the near corner of the end zone. But the closest official ruled that Proche had only one foot in bounds. The 25-yard pass was ruled incomplete, wasting an impressive route and better catch.
- The rest of the afternoon was a mixed bag for the usually sure-handed Proche. He couldn’t secure a somewhat elevated pass over the middle from Jackson in a later 11-on-11 period. In a seven-on-seven session, cornerback Marlon Humphrey drove on a curl route by Proche to deny a completion. Three plays later, Proche had another drop. The fourth-year wideout did bounce back late in practice, though, connecting with the reserve quarterbacks for a handful of receptions.
- It was a good day for unlikely catches. Wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. somehow caught a pass from quarterback Josh Johnson that pinballed off cornerback Arthur Maulet and then cornerback Corey Mayfield Jr.’s hands. Later, on a deep pass over the middle from Jackson, tight end Isaiah Likely tipped the ball to himself with his left hand before securing it as he fell to the ground.
- Undrafted wide receiver Sean Ryan outmuscled fellow rookie Kyu Kelly, a fifth-round cornerback, to catch a back-shoulder throw from Johnson for a red-zone touchdown.
- On a third-and-long play in 11-on-11 work, Jackson settled for a check-down to tight end Mark Andrews after an apparent miscommunication with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on his intended route. It was the second day without a catch for Beckham, whose snap count has been limited as he ramps up his workload. Later, Jackson overthrew Beckham in a seven-on-seven rep.
- After a quiet start to camp, wide receiver Devin Duvernay had a solid performance. He had a deep catch down the right sideline that prompted a conversation between cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt. Safety Marcus Williams seemed to pull up in coverage on the play, not wanting to run into Duvernay, and afterward offered a finger wag to the cheering fans.
- Tight ends dominated the Ravens’ seven-on-seven periods. Jackson went 4-for-4 in his first stint, connecting with Likely on the one-hander and Andrews on his three other attempts. When quarterback Tyler Huntley took the reins, two of his three completions went to Likely and Charlie Kolar. Andrews also was targeted on three of Jackson’s eight attempts in a hurry-up period, catching two.
- One of Jackson’s passes in the hurry-up period somehow ended up in center Tyler Linderbaum’s control. After caroming off a defensive lineman’s outstretched hand at the line of scrimmage, the ball seemed to knock off another defender before it bounded into Linderbaum’s grasp. He did not get far before the play was stopped.
- One day after the Ravens’ offense struggled in the “low” red zone — drives usually started around the 5-yard line — the group struggled again in the “high” red zone. Starting at the 20, Jackson went 0-for-3 with the first-team offense, having one pass deflected by defensive tackle Michael Pierce and missing running back Justice Hill and Andrews on two other short throws. Johnson went 1-for-2 with his unit, and the lone completion was a short throw to Ryan that cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis nearly ripped away from him.
- Running back Keaton Mitchell, the Ravens’ most impressive undrafted rookie throughout offseason workouts and the early days of camp, ended the red-zone period on a high note. After finding a hole along the left side of the line, he ripped off a touchdown run of about 15 yards, his impressive speed taking him to the corner of the end zone before anyone could get a hand on him.
Defense
- The starting inside linebackers, Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, have not given up much easily in space. On the second play of the first 11-on-11 period, Queen flew through a gap to stop Hill near the line of scrimmage on a toss play. The two have also stayed disciplined on screen passes and reverses.
- Pierce was more active than expected as a pass rusher. He found little resistance upfield on a would-be sack after Jackson faked a toss and looked to drop back. Later, Pierce got his deflection at the line of scrimmage in red-zone work.
- Safety Kyle Hamilton almost outdid Likely with his own bobbled grab after a deflection by wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, but his forward momentum took him just out of reach of a highlight-reel interception.
- Inside linebackers Malik Harrison and Josh Ross combined for a would-be sack on Johnson.
- Outside linebacker Malik Hamm, an undrafted rookie and Baltimore native, beat left guard turned right tackle Ben Cleveland easily with an inside spin move, forcing Huntley out of the pocket. That earned Cleveland a conversation with offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris as he came off the field.
