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Ravens Insider: Ravens observations: Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman connection in rhythm

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For quarterback Cooper Rush, the prospect was tantalizing.

After spending his first seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, he considered returning to owner Jerry Jones’ team as the backup once again. Then the Ravens called “out of nowhere” early in free agency, and that was that.

Two very different organizations headed in largely different directions.

“A chance to go on really good team, that if you gotta to go in there you can go win games and win important games,” Rush said Wednesday in his first meeting with reporters when asked about his decision to sign with Baltimore this offseason. “A team that’s in it, a team that’s got tons of weapons at every position. All those go into it. It was an exciting process.”

Rush, 31, isn’t nearly as exciting as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, but he’s “a professional,” coach John Harbaugh said.

“Operates the offense well, makes great decisions, handles the protections, gets the ball out on time, accurate passer,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s a winning quarterback.”

On Wednesday, he showed off some of those skills.

During one 11-on-11 period, Rush zipped a pass over the middle to an in-cutting Keith Kirkwood for a nice chunk gain. In one-on-one play, he was accurate and showed some touch, even if Malik Cunningham and Devontez Walker didn’t help him out with the former dropping a pass and the latter slipping and falling on the route. Still, Rush had some moments, including a nice back-shoulder completion to wide receiver Anthony Miller with rookie safety Malaki Starks in coverage.

He also had some down moments. Rush was intercepted by cornerback T.J. Tampa on one pass intended for receiver Xavier Guillory during another 11-on-11 period.

Still, he’s starting to find his rhythm in the offense.

Harbaugh also indicated that he’ll get more opportunities than the four passes he attempted last week in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts when the Ravens play the Cowboys on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. Rush said that he doesn’t view the reunion as a revenge game, rather a chance to try to impress his new team.

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Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs onto field during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center (Kenneth K. Lam/staff)
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Lamar Jackson, Rashod Bateman in rhythm

Harbaugh called this an “improvement” and “opportunity” week, and that was on display at times Wednesday for some of the wide receivers — and especially with the timing between Jackson and Rashod Bateman.

About midway through practice and on the first play of an 11-on-11 period from the defense’s 40-yard line, Jackson dropped back and launched a perfectly timed pass up the sideline to Bateman, who got behind cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and safety Sanoussi Kane to haul it in for a touchdown.

It was one of many connections between Jackson and Bateman, with Bateman racking up seven catches on eight targets during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods.

Receivers stacking cornerbacks and giving space for throws up the sideline, the depth of routes and spacing against zone coverage were just some of the “little details” that Harbaugh was particularly pleased with in the passing game.

“You wonder why all of a sudden why the passing game starts to look better and better,” he said. “You see it’s the details of the route running a lot of the times.”

Bateman, one of the best separators and deep threats in the NFL last season, has been Baltimore’s best deep performer throughout training camp.

One-on-one highlights

One-on-one play is entertaining, if nothing else. It gives quarterbacks, receivers and, to some extent, defensive backs a chance to strut their stuff.

Two connections in particular stood out Wednesday. First, Jackson dropped a beauty of a pass to receiver Zay Flowers, who had a step on cornerback Nate Wiggins, on a deep ball up the sideline. Later, Rush found a wide-open Guillory after the receiver faked out fellow rookie Keondre Jackson at the line of scrimmage with a stutter-step that the safety bit too hard on.

In the Loop

After essentially getting the day off during Tuesday’s walk-through practice, rookie kicker Tyler Loop was back to work Wednesday, and the results were mixed.

The sixth-round draft pick out of Arizona’s first attempt of the day during team play, a 46-yarder, sailed wide right. After that, though, he found his rhythm.

In the kicking period, he rattled off makes from 33, 38, 41, 46 (which glanced the right upright) and 52 yards.

He also made two more, from 35 and 25 yards, in pair of team periods. But in a “Bonsai” 45-yard attempt as time expired, Loop again missed right.

The most interesting kick of the day, however, came early in practice when Harbaugh put the team through a rare free kick scenario and Loop connected from 67 yards with room to spare.

It was just one of many situational drills on the afternoon.

“You try to get it all practiced as much as you can,” Harbaugh said of the various scenarios. “Then when it comes up during the course of season with other teams, you always show it to them and review it with them and try to remind them about it.”

Last season, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Cameron Dicker made the longest fair catch free kick in NFL history when he converted a 57-yarder against the Denver Broncos. That broke the previous record of 52 yards by Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers in 1962 on the seldom-used play, which allows a team that has just made a fair catch to attempt a field goal with the defense 10 yards away from the line of scrimmage.

Attendance

Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis was a new absence.

Others not practicing included wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Jaire Alexander, running back Keaton Mitchell, running back Marcus Major Jr., linebacker William Kwenkeu, tight end Isaiah Likely and rookie offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr.

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

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