Ravens Nest: Mike Wallace has emerged as a leader

Let’s jump right to the Ravens news and links...

Mike Preston: Wallace leading the way for Ravens' receiving corps - The Baltimore Sun

He looks fresher than he did a year ago at this time. And he could put up better numbers than he did in 2016 when he finished with 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns. The 72 catches were one below his career high of 73 with the Miami Dolphins in 2013.

“When guys are motivated like that, those are the guys you want to see – the guys that are older, but they still have that drive, and he’s got that,” said Ravens Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda. “So I’m excited about it, and I love the attitude he brings every day.

“He’s a positive influence. He’s not a whiner guy; he’s not a complainer guy. He’s a grinder. So I’m a Mike Wallace fan.”

Ravens' Madden 18 player ratings are out - Ravens Wire

As expected, the top players on the team are offensive guard Marshal Yanda (96 OVR), safety Eric Weddle (93 OVR), linebacker C.J. Mosley (89 OVR), safety Tony Jefferson (88 OVR) and kicker Justin Tucker (87 OVR).

The developers also have quarterback Joe Flacco with an 81-overall rating, which puts him as the No. 20 quarterback in the league. He’s behind other quarterbacks like his former backup Tyrod Taylor and Sam Bradford. While a case could be made that Flacco shouldn’t be in the top 10, pushing him down to No. 20 seems rather ridiculous.

Is it time to hit the panic button in Baltimore? - Baltimore Beatdown

Is it time to hit the panic button? Absolutely not. The injuries are piling on the Ravens right now, however other than at QB, the Ravens have quality depth at every position in which they lost a player.

Young and Canady were big losses, but they have plenty of help in the secondary, which is refreshing. Brandon Boykin and Marlon Humphrey both have stepped up since Young and Canady went down with their respective injuries.

Injuries mounting for Ravens early in training camp - The Baltimore Sun

“No, we’re going to be fine,” Harbaugh answered quickly. “We’ve got a lot of good players. We’re going to play football games and we’re the Ravens and we’re going to be a really good team. That’s how we do it.”

By the end of the 2015 season, the Ravens placed a team-record 20 players on injured reserve. Last year, they had 18 players on I.R. Still, the rash of roster losses that the team has sustained, dating back to organized team activities and continuing through the first week of training camp, has been particularly jarring.

Steve Bisciotti on Kaepernick’s Anthem protest: “I liked it a lot when he went from sitting to kneeling” - Baltimore Beatdown

It has been speculated all offseason that Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL owners. Although Bisciotti didn't say anything explicit to prove this theory, it’s still a pretty damning look into how NFL owners are viewing the situation of Kaepernick’s peaceful protest. Bisciotti went on to mention that he has had discussions with NFL players past and present—including Ravens’ legend Ray Lewis— about the Kaepernick situation and how to best approach it. To be fair to Bisciotti, he stated that he was favorable to Kaepernick kneeling as opposed to sitting, and that gesture garnered more support from Bisciotti himself.