ExtremeRavens Posted 20 hours ago Posted 20 hours ago The voluntary portion of Ravens practice is over. Baltimore wrapped up three weeks of organized team activities on Wednesday, with coach John Harbaugh pleased enough with what he saw in the nine two-hour sessions that he decided to cancel the final one. Next up: Mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and Wednesday, when all players who aren’t otherwise injured are expected to hit the field and required to attend in Owings Mills. Though the Ravens had relatively good attendance in OTAs, the final practices before players break before training camp later this month will mark the first time that the entire roster will practice together this offseason. That, of course, includes quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, who only made one appearance during the first OTA practice open to reporters before retreating to his home in South Florida. Predictably, without Jackson there, practices over the past few weeks haven’t had quite the same level of juice and execution. That should change beginning Tuesday, so here’s a look at what we learned from OTAs and what to look for at this week’s two-day minicamp: Lamar Jackson’s arrival Though Jackson did show for one voluntary practice, he hasn’t spoken with reporters since Baltimore’s season-ending divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 19. As noted, he also hasn’t practiced much. Whether skipping all but one of the OTAs was contract-related — Jackson’s deal runs through 2027, but general manager Eric DeCosta earlier this month on the “Bmore Baseball” podcast acknowledged that the two sides have begun extension talks — or simply because it was voluntary isn’t clear. But coaches haven’t been too worried about his absence, even if the play of veteran Cooper Rush and second-year quarterback Devin Leary has been inconsistent at best and shoddy at worst. “Lamar, the day he was out of here, played great,” Harbaugh said. “I could see he was in great shape, threw the ball great, made the right reads, knew the offense in an excellent kind of way. I thought he was fantastic. And when he comes back and practices, when that happens, I expect him to play at that level. That’s what you measure. … I’m not measuring, really, the attendance. I mean it’s a voluntary camp, so I’m not measuring that.” Added offensive coordinator Todd Monken, now in his third year in Baltimore: “I always feel good about Lamar. He always comes in ready. I’ve never felt like when we’ve started camp, or whenever he’s been here, that he is not ready.” Presuming Jackson doesn’t skip mandatory minicamp — a la Cincinnati Bengals star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who did so over a contract dispute — the expectation is that he’ll be there and that in turn will ratchet up the level of everything from the quality of play to the overall energy and attention. Ravens rookie safety Malaki Starks has already impressed coaches this offseason with his work ethic and knowledge of the game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Defense points to being elite again Rookies Malaki Starks and Mike Green have already drawn rave reviews, something that is rare from coaches at this stage. Starks, a safety and Baltimore’s first-round pick out of Georgia, has been running walk-throughs for rookies at the team hotel all spring. Green, an edge rusher out of Marshall who led the country in sacks last season but fell to late in the second round because of off-field concerns centered around two sexual assault allegations, has shown a high motor and been inquisitive. “He can answer any question in a meeting,” Harbaugh said of Starks. “He’s very much a pro, probably way advanced beyond his years, in terms of being a pro.” “From a pass rush standpoint, Mike is skilled,” pass rush coach Chuck Smith said of Green. “Mike can cross-chop; Mike can spin; Mike can ghost. But from that standpoint, Mike is the best example of this new generation that have learned from the pros, and he comes in already really highly skilled up. … His ‘get-off’… I’m just amazed that he’s in his base two-point stance, and he has no false steps. He gets off on the ball fast.” While coaches won’t get a full sense of their skills until the pads go on during training camp, minicamp will serve as another entree, and the depths of Baltimore’s talent will be on full display. So far, inside linebacker Roquan Smith has looked perhaps the fastest he’s been since arriving in Baltimore via trade in 2022, while outside linebacker Odafe Oweh has added 20 pounds of muscle without sacrificing speed. Cornerback Nate Wiggins has also played more physically and with more certainty, while defensive tackle Broderick Washington has arrived in shape and looked powerful. Add all of that to a group that includes Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton, All-Pro slot cornerback Marlon Humphrey, defensive tackles Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones, outside linebacker Tavius Robinson and veteran and last year’s team leader in sacks Kyle Van Noy, and it’s hard to find a weak spot. Even at inside linebacker — one of the more vulnerable groups last year — the Ravens look improved, with Trenton Simpson more communicative and confident, and rookie Teddye Buchanan someone who could potentially contribute meaningfully. With second-year players T.J. Tampa Jr., Sanoussi Kane and Adisa Isaac expected to get a decent share of snaps at cornerback, safety and outside linebacker, respectively, along with the possibility the Ravens add another veteran such as Pro Bowl corner Jaire Alexander, second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr has plenty of talent at his disposal. Orr’s comfort in Year 2 also can’t be overstated. In the impassioned words of Smith, he was the reason for Baltimore’s turnaround down the stretch last year and is positioned to be the next great, young defensive coordinator. Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker, shown at the Isaiah Likely charity softball game, has shown improvement thus far this offseason. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Wide receiver battles brewing There’s little question over who the Ravens’ top three wide receivers are. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and offseason acquisition DeAndre Hopkins will get most of the targets. Beyond that is where things are worth watching. Devontez Walker, the speedy 2024 fourth-round draft pick out of North Carolina, has had a nice spring thus far. His routes look more polished, and he has played with more physicality in crowded and contested-catch situations. It helps to know the playbook, too. “He’s just way more confident, way more certain when he runs a route,” Harbaugh said. “He’s off the ball. He’s in his break. He’s out of his break. He’s upfield. He goes and gets the ball. Assignment-wise, he comes out of the huddle much more aware.” The question is, can he beat out veteran Tylan Wallace? Now in his fifth year, Wallace is coming off career highs in catches (11) and yards (193) and last season caught his first career touchdown pass. Walker has the higher ceiling and can stretch defenses, while Wallace has been a special teams stalwart. Both will be on the roster, but Walker, who logged just 57 snaps on offense and one catch for a touchdown on just three targets, will have a shot to see more action. That would then leave the sixth receiver spot possibly to rookie LaJohntay Wester, who has made a few nice grabs so far, flashed elite speed and an array of juke moves, and will have a chance to be the starting punt returner. Ravens offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, shown running a drill with Ronnie Stanley, is battling to reclaim his left guard spot. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Left guard and the rest of the offensive line Offensive line is as about as glamorous as a fuel pump, but with a bad one, a Ferrari isn’t going anywhere. Sub in the league’s top offense from a year ago, and you get the idea. Which is part of the reason why offensive line coach George Warhop would rather someone win the left guard competition outright rather than having to use a possible rotation. Last season, Andrew Vorhees started at left guard before suffering an ankle injury and being replaced by Patrick Mekari. Though Vorhees never regained the job, he did play “very, very well,” Warhop said, in Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns while filling in for an under-the-weather Mekari. Warhop said that he has also been impressed with Vorhees this spring, so that would mean that he’s the front-runner for the starting role, with veteran Ben Cleveland, Darrian Dalcourt and seventh-round rookie Garrett Dellinger behind him. The rest of the starters up front, meanwhile, figure to be the same as last year with Pro Bowl selections Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum at left tackle and center, respectively, Roger Rosengarten at right tackle and likely Daniel Faalele at right guard. The Ravens also added some depth with veteran tackle Joseph Noteboom and six other rookies, including tackles Emery Jones Jr., who has yet to practice because of a shoulder injury, and Carson Vinson. One thing the group has to get better at, though, is avoiding penalties. Baltimore’s 132 penalties last season were the second-most in the league, and 45 of them were on the offensive line, which led the NFL. It’s a trend that has continued to the offseason, too. Asked last week whether he was encouraged by what he saw during OTAs, Warhop said, “Too many false starts, so no. We’ve got to be better.” Some of that could be attributed to a mismatched medley of players participating this time of year, as well as a new quarterback (Rush) learning a new offense. But Baltimore also can’t keep putting its high-octane offense behind schedule when it comes to the games that do matter. Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo walks with his dog Prince during the Isaiah Likely Softball Slam. Ojabo faces stiff competition to earn reps at pass rusher. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Ojabo on the outside looking in This summer is critical for David Ojabo. The oft-injured linebacker has appeared in just 18 games (one start) since Baltimore selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft, with last year’s 13 games marking the first time he appeared in more than three in a season. He’s also in the final year of his contract. “A lot of times when you’re getting healthy, you’re not necessarily gaining, you’re just trying to manage to get back to where you started,” Smith said of Ojabo. “So now I think this offseason, his platform has raised, from the standpoint of, he’s had a chance to work harder. He has a chance to do the different things that it takes from a strength standpoint, and he has worked really hard.” So far, though, he hasn’t stood out, and that figures to only get more difficult to do. Oweh, Van Noy and Robinson are ahead of him on the depth chart. Isaac is entering just his second year and is under contract through 2027, and the Ravens drafted Green. That’s already five outside linebackers, which is what they kept on the initial 53-man roster last season. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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