The Ravens are in their second week of Organized Team Activities. Here’s a recap of yesterday’s practice!
Elite veterans test Ravens’ rookies
Iron sharpens iron has been a common mantra in Baltimore for years, but during spring practices, it’s closer to iron forms young, moldable balls of clay.
Head coach Jesse Minter talked about the value of his rookies getting to face off against proven veterans during spring practices. Right now, he explained, neither side of the ball is doing anything particularly complicated scheme-wise. That creates
a lot of 1-on-1 opportunities in both the pass rush and in coverage for Baltimore’s youngest players to go up against their best teammates.
Minter specifically mentioned rookie cornerback Chandler Rivers and second-year offensive tackle Carson Vinson as beneficiaries of these matchups.
“It’s unbelievable for guys to get man-to-man reps against Zay Flowers,” Minter said, who he called “maybe the toughest cover in the league.” As one would expect, he torched Rivers on a few routes, but that is all part of the process.
“The more reps that Chandler can get trying to hang with Zay just in man-to-man shadow technique, he’ll be better off in August and September for that,” Minter added.
Ronnie Stanley’s absence on Tuesday pushed Vinson into first-team reps against Trey Hendrickson, one of the best edge rushers in the league. Unsurprisingly, the All-Pro dominated the matchup with a bat-down and multiple pressures around the edge, including a likely sack during third-down work at the end of practice.
“Anytime you get reps, it’s just a great opportunity to improve,” Minter said. “He gets an opportunity to line up across from Trey Hendrickson a lot, which, they just work really well together. So still, it’s non-competitive, but they talk a lot after each play…They talk about their pass sets, their run blocking and their hand placement. So, it’s invaluable for him.”
Attendance Report
Along with Stanley, a number of veterans were not present for Tuesday’s practice. Defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Nnamdi Madubuike, John Jenkins, and Travis Jones missed OTAs for the second week in a row, as did cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.
These are all fairly standard spring absences, though Madubuike’s status after last year’s season-ending neck injury remains up in the air. He has been around the facility “a lot” with participation in “certain parts of our program,” Minter said, though he declined to give any kind of return timeline.
Minter did give a positive update on Teddye Buchanan, who took over the No. 2 linebacker job as a rookie last year before tearing his ACL in December.
“Teddye is really far ahead of schedule,” Minter said. “The way that guy operates, the way that guy works – I don’t think there is a timeline for him.”
A few other attendacne notes:
- All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton participated in the first half of practice but stayed on the sidelines after the team moved outside.
- Third-year outside linebacker Adisa Isaac was a limited participant after missing last week.
- Like last week, second-year cornerback Bilhal Kone participated in drills but no full-team work.
Top plays and performers
Nate Wiggins made the play of the day with a leaping interception off Lamar Jackson. He was trying to layer a throw to Flowers over Wiggins, who was sitting underneath on the boundary in a Cover 2 look, but the third-year corner got good depth on his drop and plucked the ball out of the air.
Wiggins was tabbed for a breakout last year that never materialized. He is among the many players who stands to benefit from a new coaching staff, especially a head coach who has his roots in defensive back play.
Undrafted rookie safety Silas Walters had Tuesday’s other interception. He was playing centerfield and picking off a lofted pass up the seam from Tyler Huntley.
Third-year receiver Dayton Wade was the offense’s most consistent contributor with a number of chunk gains over the middle and a long catch-and-run up the sideline. Devontez Walker flashed his speed on multiple plays, and LaJohntay Wester quietly had a solid practice, too.
Skyler Thompson made two notable throws to rookie wideouts. First came a well-placed ball to UDFA Cortez Braham, who made a nice grab in traffic. Then he flicked a slick no-look pass to fourth-round pick Elijah Sarratt on the sideline. The veteran should have the inside track to the QB3 job, but the Ravens typically prefer to keep their third-stringer on the practice squad. That might be tough for an experienced passer.
And here’s the best of the rest:
- Jackson double-clutched a throw to Mark Andrews that gave recent signing K’Von Wallace enough time to come over his shoulder for a PBU.
- Rookie tight end Matthew Hibner made a nice block on a screen to Sarrat.
- Third-year linebacker Carl Jones Jr. flew to the ball on a swing pass to Justice Hill and would have lit him up in a real game.
