The Ravens’ third training camp practice in Owings Mills on Friday gave the defense the upper hand, and it wasn’t subtle. Malaki Starks closed the day by picking off Lamar Jackson on a desperation fourth-down heave, the kind of play that capped a practice where the pass rush spent much of the afternoon living in the backfield.
Anthony Weaver, though, was quick to put the brakes on any big conclusions. “I don’t think anything’s really real until we put the pads on.” That moment comes next week, which should tell a much fuller story about how much of Friday’s pressure can carry over once the contact starts.
The offense never really found a groove. One of the clearest examples came when Jackson launched deep for Rashod Bateman, who had a step on Nate Wiggins. Bateman had the advantage downfield, but Jackson underthrew it enough for Wiggins to recover and get into the play, and Bateman couldn’t finish the catch.
Trey Hendrickson was among the defenders consistently creating problems up front, and he’s already made an obvious impression. His path has been unusual enough to notice on its own - from Drew Brees to Joe Burrow to Jackson - and he summed up the appeal of this group with, “When you are motivated to get No. 8 the ball back, it makes it a little easier.”
There were a few individual spots worth watching beyond the headline plays. Tavius Robinson could be a candidate for a hybrid inside-outside role in the same way Dre’Mont Jones was used before, which is an intriguing possibility given Robinson’s solid step last season with 4 1/2 sacks in 10 games. And Tyler Loop kept things clean on special teams, drilling all three of his field-goal attempts, including one from 56 yards, to open training camp 3-for-3.
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.” Loop is still without competition, but he’s making the most of that runway.
Keyon Martin also turned in a noticeable day in coverage. After last summer’s rise as a rookie free agent, he’s not playing like someone assuming anything is guaranteed, and he showed sticky coverage several times in a red-zone period. The fifth-round selection of Chandler Rivers may have complicated his path, but the 5-foot-9, 171-pound Martin continues to play with toughness.
Weaver clearly remembers how Baltimore ended up with Martin. The former Miami defensive coordinator said the Dolphins hosted Martin as part of a local pro day last year before they missed on the Fort Lauderdale native. He laughed and said, “We f-ed that up, right?”
There was also movement on the injury front. Baltimore’s physically unable to perform list got smaller with Adisa Isaac (elbow) and Bilhal Kone (knee) activated.
Both players suffered season-ending injuries last August, so this is a big summer for each of them as they try to help their roster cases. Travis Jones, John Jenkins and Teddye Buchanan remain on the PUP list.
Luke Jones reported that Isaac and Kone were off the active PUP list and practiced Friday, while Calais Campbell, Travis Jones, John Jenkins, Teddye Buchanan and Corey Bullock did not.
On the coaching side, Declan Doyle has been using a sideline headset for portions of practice, which makes sense given that he has never called plays before and is trying to recreate game-like situations. He still hasn’t settled on whether he’ll call games from the booth or the sideline, but he plans to spend the preseason opener upstairs and the second preseason game in Minnesota on the sideline before making his final choice for the regular season.
Doyle’s approach has apparently made an impression. He’s still sorting out the logistics, but he’s already being described as an impressive young coach.
Elsewhere on the roster, Broderick Washington and Andrew Vorhees both took pay cuts, a move that wasn’t exactly a shock given how much better it made their chances of sticking on the roster by lowering their cap numbers. Washington has long been well liked by the coaching staff, and Vorhees gives them a backup option with starting experience.
And it was good to see Pernell McPhee back in the building. He and former Raven Haruki Nakamura are part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, and after the last couple of years coaching at Michigan, McPhee looks like someone who could be useful in helping second-round rookie Zion Young.
In Other News...
Mike Locksley Sounds Off On NFL Coaching Problem That Wont Go Away
During the 2024 season, the Big Ten featured five minority head football coaches, but the number has since shrunk in a way that has become all too familiar across college football and the NFL. For Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who remains the lone Black head coach in both the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, the decline is more than a talking point. It is a reminder of how quickly visibility can fade, even after years of discussion about broader access and opportunity in the profession.
Locksley has been among the coaches trying to push that conversation forward through the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches, which aims to promote qualified minority candidates and keep them in front of decision-makers. His frustration also lands in the same space as long-running questions about the NFLs Rooney Rule, which was designed to improve hiring opportunities but still faces criticism as minority coaches continue to struggle to land head coaching jobs. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Pass Rush Is Already Causing Problems Before Full Strength Arrives
Baltimores defense kept turning the heat up in training camp, and one practice in particular gave Anthony Weaver plenty to like. The Ravens strung together four straight red zone stops, capped by a Malaki Starks interception, and the front behind it has already looked disruptive even without some of the groups biggest interior pieces on the field.
Trey Hendrickson, Mike Green, Tavius Robinson and undrafted rookie Ethan Burke have all helped pressure quarterbacks, which is an encouraging sign for a unit still waiting on Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Calais Campbell. Weaver said the rush plan should only get more varied once everyone is available, with more scheme-driven complexity and line games designed to create pressure without giving up coverage behind it. [Read more 🡒]