Ravens Insider: Ravens OTA observations: Owner Steve Bisciotti makes first appearance

ExtremeRavens · Wednesday at 10:34 PM

Wednesday marked what ended up being the final voluntary practice of organized team activities for the Ravens with coach John Harbaugh deciding to cancel Thursday’s edition, but it marked the first appearance on the field for team owner Steve Bisciotti.

Bisciotti made his way to the festivities via his golf cart, then saddled up next to Harbaugh for much of the two hours, bending his coach’s ear at times during warmups and individual drills as well as team action.

It’s also not particularly unusual for Bisciotti to be on hand for practices in the spring and summer.

Bisciotti, who hasn’t spoken with reporters since 2022, has had a busy offseason, most notably including the team parting ways with kicker Justin Tucker after he was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by several massage therapists from several Baltimore-area spas.

It won’t be his last appearance, either, with the 65-year-old usually a presence during training camp, which will kick off later this month.

Hamilton arrives

Ravens Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton attended Wednesday’s voluntary practice, his first in since sessions opened to reporters two weeks ago.

His presence could be an indication that contract negotiations between the club and Hamilton are moving in the right direction. The Ravens have already exercised Hamilton’s fifth-year option worth $18.6 million, guaranteeing that he will be a member of the team in 2026.

As a rookie and No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Notre Dame, Hamilton signed a four-year deal worth $16.25 million. He might be NFL’s top safety and last year finished second on the team in tackles with 107. He has also emerged as an impact player near the line of scrimmage as far as stopping the run and rushing the passer.

Combined with rookie Malaki Starks, the team’s first-round pick out of Georgia, the Ravens have one of the best safety tandems in the league, but it will cost them.

It will be an interesting month or two leading into training camp. Besides Hamilton, the Ravens are expected to extend the contracts of quarterback Lamar Jackson and center Tyler Linderbaum, as well as possibly tight end Isaiah Likely and defensive tackle Travis Jones.

Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley works out during OTA at Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) — Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley is in good shape coming off a bounce-back season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Stanley in shape

The Ravens’ best running play still seems to be the quick toss around the left end to halfback Derrick Henry.

Opposing defensive backs don’t want to see the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry running behind left tackle and lead blocker Ronnie Stanley followed by 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard. That will keep a lot of them up late at night.

As for Stanley, his lower body appears to be as thick as a year ago, and that’s another good sign heading into training camp.

Andrews’ intensity high

Tight end Mark Andrews was running 40-yard sprints at full tilt before practice started Wednesday. A year ago, Andrews appeared hobbled at times catching a pass in full stride, but that won’t be the case this season.

Andrews has always had that competitive fire, but it seems more intense after his fumble and dropped 2-point conversion attempt in the Ravens’ AFC divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills last season.

Ravens kicker Tyler Loop kicks a practice field goal during OTA at Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) — Ravens kicker Tyler Loop converted just five of nine field goal attempts during Wednesday's practice. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

In the Loop

Rookie kicker Tyler Loop is still the favorite to land the starting job to replace the jettisoned Tucker, but he’s had his ups and downs this spring.

Wednesday fell into the latter. During one session the sixth-round draft pick converted just five of nine field goal attempts between roughly 32 and 60 yards (the vantage point from where reporters were allowed to watch made it difficult to see the exact spot).

Almost all of the four misses were wide right, with one, from approximately 60, sailing wide left. His makes came from 32, 38, 43, 55 and 53 yards, while his other misses were from 50 and 55 (twice).

On the upside, distance was not a problem as he has shown to have plenty of leg.

Still, as the one kicker that senior special teams coach Randy Brown identified and stumped for ahead of the draft, there is pressure — on Loop and Brown — with it being the only kicker Baltimore has ever used a draft pick on.

Opportunities for young players

A lot of veterans and expected starters got a decent amount of rest during team play. That paved the way for some of the younger players hoping to make the roster or practice squad to try to show off their skills.

Tight end Sam Pitz was one player who made a couple of really nice catches, including one leaping and twisting grab on a deep ball to the sideline during 7-on-7 play and then another contested grab during full team action.

Veteran Anthony Miller, who was on the practice squad last season, also made a nice outstretched catch over the middle on a pass from Devin Leary that was too far out in front of him. He then made another one-handed snag, but was out of bounds in the back of the end zone on an overthrown ball.

Dayton Wade, who signed a reserve/futures contract earlier this year after spending his rookie season on Baltimore’s practice squad, also had several catches throughout the course of the day.

Kane angling for third safety role

Second-year safety Sanoussi Kane was “flying” around Wednesday, as Harbaugh put it.

He wasn’t wrong. Kane was a regular pest in the secondary during the two-hour session.

Though there’s still a long way to go between now and training camp and the start of the regular season, the seventh-round pick out Purdue has a shot at playing a meaningful role after logging just 22 defensive snaps last season and mostly being limited to special teams.

“I think he’s taken a big step this year,” Harbaugh said. “Starting to look like he could be that guy.”

Harbaugh added that Kane has a “shot” to be the third safety alongside Kyle Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks. That would certainly help with Ar’Darius Washington expected to be out for most if not all of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

A proclamation like that from Harbaugh at this point is also revealing.

Minor injuries

There were a few notable players who missed practice because of injuries.

Among them were safety Beau Brade, new veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and rookie edge rusher Mike Green. None were due to anything “serious,” Harbaugh said.

He added that Brade and Awuzie were dealing with ankle injuries, while Green, who still hasn’t signed his rookie contract, is “fine.”

Meanwhile, backup guard Ben Cleveland participated in the first three quarters of practice but was seen walking softly on the sidelines in the last 30 minutes. The fifth-year player and 2021 third-round pick out of Georgia has struggled to stay healthy during his career.

The only other player who spends more time in the training room has been cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, a 2022 fourth-round pick from Alabama. He has suffered several leg and ankle injuries, but got some extensive work along with second-year cornerback T.J. Tampa Jr. on Wednesday.

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton stretches before works out during OTA at Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

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Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton stretches before works out during OTA at Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

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Final practice

Initially, the Ravens were scheduled to have another voluntary practice on Thursday. But on Wednesday, Harbaugh decided to cancel it.

The past few weeks, he said, were about “weeding” and preparing for training camp later this month after next week’s two-day mandatory minicamp. The full team is expected to be on hand, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has been absent since the first OTA open to reporters.

“I feel really great about it,” Harbaugh said of the past few weeks. “Intentionality has been a real big message in this offseason. We’re trying to be intentional about everything we do, understand what we do, we do it for a reason and understand what the reason is.

“I believe they’ve really taken it to heart and when you do that it makes for a better practice, so I feel really good about the practices.”

In the next breath, however, he said there are still “lots of things” to work on, something we’ll see in earnest beginning next week before players break for camp.

Extra points

• Let’s see how the Ravens use rookie Aeneas Peebles, a sixth-round pick and defensive linemen out of Virginia Tech. Peebles has exceptional quickness and could be a factor in passing situations, but his 289 pounds is on a 6-foot frame. He could form an effective pass rushing combination with end Nnamdi Madubuike, but he might get pushed around in the run game.

• It’s early, but two of the team’s top linebackers have been impressive. That includes veteran Roquan Smith, but third-year outside linebacker Trent Simpson has also played well. Simpson has been effective as a pass rusher, but his added 10 to 15 pounds of bulk is clearly noticeable.

• Neither of the backup quarterbacks, Cooper Rush or Leary, have been impressive. Rush has been more disappointing because he had success with Dallas, but he hasn’t shown much touch on the long ball. Leary appears to be a training camp casualty.

• Emery Jones Jr., the rookie right tackle and third-round pick from LSU, was expected to challenge for some playing time this season, but that will be difficult after he had recent shoulder surgery and has not lifted weights in several months.

Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun.

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Ravens Insider: Ravens OTA observations: Owner Steve Bisciotti makes first appearance

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