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ExtremeRavens: The Sanctuary

Ravens Insider: Ravens observations on Arthur Maulet’s injury update, Ben Cleveland at center and more


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The Ravens will be without a dependable cornerback for the foreseeable future.

After Arthur Maulet expectedly missed his second consecutive practice, coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that the 31-year-old will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Harbaugh called it a “cleanup type of situation” that won’t end his season. They’ll reevaluate as the regular season creeps closer.

Maulet played in 14 games in 2023, starting three in his first year in Baltimore. He tied or set career highs in sacks (2), tackles for loss (5), quarterback hits (3), interceptions (1), passes defended (5) and fumble recoveries (2). Maulet has been one of the top performers in training camp thus far, but NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported that the injury could possibly keep him out until October.

Wednesday marked the final half-contact practice before the Ravens strap on full pads for their preseason opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson is not expected to play after resting during the preseason the past two years; Harbaugh said “that will be the same.” Veteran backup Josh Johnson, 38, is likely to start in his place. Wolfe reported that running back Derrick Henry also won’t play until the regular season opener in Kansas City next month.

“We haven’t really done any preparation for the Eagles but we’ll go out and run our plays and see how the guys do,” Harbaugh said.

Cleveland at center

Ben Cleveland played a little bit of center in high school. He was strictly a right guard during his four years at Georgia. But the Ravens started giving him spot reps at center last year and again through organized team activities this summer as part of an effort to make him more versatile along the offensive line.

Earlier this week, Cleveland was moved primarily to center on the heels of starter Tyler Linderbaum missing for a fourth straight practice because of a “soft tissue” problem, according to Harbaugh.

“Ben has done such a good job at center, and now we have Tyler out for a while,” Harbaugh said, “I think you’re going to see him at center for the next two weeks.”

Cleveland said he’s been leaning on the Pro Bowl selection Linderbaum during his positional change.

“It’s been nice playing beside him and all that in the past. … We keep the same terminology and everything like that; it’s just a matter of the perspective in which you see the defensive fronts and things like that [are] different,” Cleveland said. “Every day after practice, he’s in there watching film, [and] we’re going over how I can step better, do this better and whatnot, so it’s been nice having somebody who’s, obviously, as good as he is at that position to help me better myself.”

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws a deep pass during training camp at the Ravens' training facility. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completed an estimated 14 of 19 passes in 11-on-11 plays on Wednesday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

Jackson didn’t compound mistakes

It’s hard to read too much into anything Jackson does in camp. For a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player with a trip to the conference championship on his resume, he doesn’t have much to prove in August.

But since missing the opening days of practice because of an illness, he’s been his usual steady self in Owings Mills. Wednesday was more of the same, as he completed an estimated 14 of 19 passes in 11-on-11 action with five touchdown passes.

More importantly, each Jackson gaffe — his fault or not — was followed with a dart, touchdown pass or highlight-caliber play.

There was the overthrow to Malik Cunningham on a long ball down the left sideline. The quarterback-turned-wideout beat his defender off the line of scrimmage but couldn’t catch up to the ball’s descent on a diving attempt. Jackson followed that up by finding tight end Isaiah Likely in space for a 15-yard gain. Then, with an overloaded right side, he rolled out to his left for a 40-plus-yard touchdown run and excitedly fired the ball against the signage behind the end zone.

During red zone reps, Jackson threw a pass too high for Likely, who was double-covered. But his next pass found receiver Keith Kirkwood for a touchdown in the front of the end zone.

Ravens training camp, August 7, 2024 | PHOTOS

Oweh flashes

Odafe Oweh spent Wednesday afternoon’s practice taking lunch money from an offensive line still finding its bearings.

While the fourth-year pass rusher can’t touch the quarterback, there were more than a few plays in which he maneuvered his way into the backfield at an arm’s length from the signal-caller.

Oweh recorded five sacks and 23 total tackles in 13 games last year. Teammates and coaches have noticed an uptick in his production through camp after having spent a week training in Atlanta this offseason.

As for the offensive line he’s bull-rushing, that competition could start to settle itself as preseason games get underway. Harbaugh has been noncommittal on the matter of solidifying a group but said, “We’ll see all of the guys we need to, and it will be quite a few guys.”

Williams’ impressive interception

Third-string rookie quarterback Devin Leary tried to find Cunningham streaking across the back of the end zone from right to left. Leary’s throw was on target, but Damarion “Pepe” Williams undercut the route, pulling the ball right down from under Cunningham’s hands for an interception.

Seesaw day for Kirkwood

Kirkwood was signed in late June to add a veteran presence to the positional group. He’s not expected to be in the mix among the offense’s primary weapons, but with a pecking-order competition at play and Rashod Bateman still absent from an injury he suffered earlier this week, Kirkwood is getting plenty chances in his fight to make the roster.

We saw the good and the ugly of that effort on Wednesday.

He had a touchdown catch on a short route. Later, Jackson let one fly that Kirkwood hauled in as he toppled out of bounds inside the 2-yard line. Sandwiched between those plays were a pair of would-be-touchdown passes that both clanked off Kirkwood’s hands.

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