ExtremeRavens Posted July 30 Posted July 30 A pair of Ravens pass catchers have been sidelined in three days of padded training camp practices, a suboptimal start for what was the healthiest team in football last season. Wide receiver Zay Flowers did not practice Wednesday with a undisclosed injury. Coach John Harbaugh did not provide specifics. “He and a couple other guys that you didn’t see are all camp-type things that you really just need to not go out for a few days on,” Harbaugh said. “So he’ll be back in a few days.” With tight end Isaiah Likely expected to have surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot, which Harbaugh confirmed Wednesday, the Ravens were short several key pass catchers at practice. Flowers, a 2024 Pro Bowl receiver and 2023 first-round draft pick, appeared to tweak his leg near the end of Tuesday’s practice during an 11-on-11 drill. He was seen off to the sideline walking gingerly, seemingly testing out his pain tolerance. This was the second time the hard-cutting receiver had to exit practice with a leg tweak. He pulled himself out during one of the first days of training camp in Owings Mills, had a trainer look at his ankle, then retied his shoe and returned to the field, uninhibited. Health and availability have been key points of the early part of Flowers’ career. It wasn’t until Week 18 last season that a knee injury forced him to miss a game for the first time in his career, Baltimore’s playoff loss in Buffalo. Even then, Flowers said he was positive he would have been ready to play had they made the AFC conference championship. Sluggish day, defense dominates Whether it was the 102 degree heat index, a third straight day in pads or the absence of Likely and Flowers, Wednesday’s practice was disjointed. The defense dominated the offense, winning the practice 63-36, according to the Ravens’ scoring system. Several key offensive contributors were limited in practice: running back Derrick Henry, wide receiver Rashod Bateman and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley spent most of practice on the sideline. Their absences had an obvious effect. There were four false start penalties, multiple drops and a handful of errant passes from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Safety Kyle Hamilton even dropped a potential interception from Jackson during an end-of-practice drill. Cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and TJ Tampa both had multiple pass breakups during team drills. Awuzie, who’s played well over the first week of training camp, looked good against the first-team offense. He nearly picked off a pass intended for wide receiver Devontez Walker and then broke up another end zone pass later in the period. Tampa secured an end zone interception off backup quarterback Cooper Rush. “The defense had a heck of a day today, as you saw,” Harbaugh said. “[Awuzie’s] really stepping up the last day or two.” With Jalyn Armour-Davis and Bilhal Kone both not practicing with injures, there’s a window for Tampa and Awuzie to establish themselves in the cornerback room. Baltimore Ravens wide receivers Jahmal Banks, left, and Rashod Bateman run routes during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry high-fives young fans as he enters the field for practice during training camp at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Young fans react with excitement after high-fiving Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry as he entered the field for practice during training camp at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. One child exclaimed, “Holy moly, Derrick Henry just touched my hand!” (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry runs drills during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman runs drills during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman runs drills during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Show Caption1 of 8Baltimore Ravens wide receivers Jahmal Banks, left, and Rashod Bateman run routes during practice at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md. (Nia Meyers/Staff)Expand One-on-ones With Flowers out and Bateman not participating, the one-on-one receiver vs. cornerback drills lacked their usual star power, though each side had a few strong moments. “Today was tough. We didn’t have all the receivers out there,” Harbaugh said. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins made an excellent catch on a fade route against cornerback Jaire Alexander, drawing a penalty flag while securing the catch. Alexander was also beat by receiver Anthony Miller on a deep ball later in the drill. Tampa had two pass breakups during the drill, knocking the ball away from Miller and then punching a would-be catch out of Walker’s hands. He even emulated Alexander’s seatbelt celebration after the play. First live period The Ravens have worn pads for three straight days, but had avoided tackling up until today. But at the end of practice, Harbaugh signaled to the team that the next period would be live. “We had it as an option in camp … We just decided to go ahead and do it,” Harbaugh said. Younger players and third-stringers were the only players involved in the drill, as the starters watched from the sideline. The defense stonewalled the offense for a majority of the period, but the day ended with a 45-yard touchdown pass up the seam from quarterback Devin Leary to rookie tight end Sam Pitz. Rising rookie A former quarterback, Teddye Buchanan’s football intelligence was praised during his one season at California. But he didn’t start playing linebacker full time until his freshman year at UC-Davis and played only one season of Power Four football after transferring to California for his senior season. But the fourth-round rookie is a good athlete who’s clearly becoming more comfortable as training camp wears on. Buchanan knocked away a low pass to running back Justice Hill during one-on-one drills and then made an excellent tackle in space against running back Keaton Mitchell during the live period. It was his best practice of the offseason and with a strong camp, he could become a solid depth option for the Ravens. Bounce-back day for Loop Kicker Tyler Loop missed three kicks during Monday’s practice after making every attempt throughout the rest of training camp. The sixth-round rookie rebounded Wednesday, making all nine of his attempts. Loop drilled kicks from 23, 32, 33, 35, 35, 38, 43, 45 and 53 yards, although one appeared to barely cross over the left goal post. The referees looked at each other in confusion, before signaling that the attempt was good. Injury updates Harbaugh said that the reported timeline for Likely — an absence of about six weeks — is accurate, as the tight end is expected to have surgery on his fractured foot soon. Armour-Davis underwent an MRI that revealed nothing serious, according to Harbaugh. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230. Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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