Ravens News 8/3: Best Moments and more

Ravens observations: Lamar Jackson has one of his sharpest passing days of training camp

Aron Yohannes, The Baltimore Banner

Outside of an interception that bounced off Nelson Agholor’s hands and into Marlon Humphrey’s, starting quarterback Lamar Jackson was extremely sharp and accurate. There was clear velocity on all of Jackson’s throws, and he unofficially completed 22 of 31 passes with a touchdown and that lone interception. Jackson completed 16 of his first 18 passes, including 11 straight.

The offense was generally sharp early passing the ball, although most passes were short and underneath.

Agholor had an excellent day beyond that pass slipping through his hands. He won a one-on-one drill going deep against Humphrey and later had a leaping touchdown grab during 11-on-11 drills in the red zone. He’s had a good stretch of practices recently.

Kicker Justin Tucker went 15-for-15 on the day.

Tight end Mark Andrews had the most receptions for the first-team offense, finishing with eight in 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven.

Defensive tackle Travis Jones had a good rush up the middle and deflected a Jackson pass in 11-on-11.

Swing tackle Patrick Mekari stonewalled rookie outside linebacker Tavius Robinson on an attempted bull rush. Later, he matched Robinson on an outside rush, keeping the fourth-round pick off his body.

Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and rookie left guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu split their two repetitions. Odafe Oweh, rushing from an inside position, turned the corner on their second matchup after getting denied on their first.

Practice Report: Cornerbacks Step Up After Rock Ya-Sin Leaves Early

Clifton Brown, BaltimoreRavens.com

Newly acquired Arthur Maulet seized the opportunity for more reps, intercepting a pass intended for Tylan Wallace and effectively blanketing wide receivers throughout practice. Maulet spent the past two seasons as the Steelers’ primary nickel corner and the 30-year-old veteran is making a quick adjustment to Baltimore’s defensive scheme after signing last week.

Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey got a gift interception when a pass from Lamar Jackson deflected off Nelson Agholor’s hands right into Humphrey’s arms. Second-year cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis was also active in coverage, getting valuable action and looking healthy after being hampered by a hip injury as a rookie.

Zay Flowers continued to cook, gaining separation from cornerbacks during one-on-one drills. Flowers’ quick moves drew cheers from the crowd.

Former Ravens Special Teams Coach/Assistant Head Coach Jerry Rosburg was a very hands-on presence during special teams drills, coaching up players and walking them through techniques. Harbaugh said Rosburg would spend the next week in camp. Rosburg also spent time on the sideline talking to his daughter, Assistant to the Head Coach Megan Rosburg.

Practice concluded with a slip-and-slide drill, with veterans spraying rookies with a hose as they tried to recover a wet football. Jackson, Humphrey, All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and Kevin Zeitler were among the veterans who took immense pleasure drenching their teammates.

John Harbaugh on J.K. Dobbins’ continued absence: ‘There is a point in time when it does become a concern’

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun

Wednesday marked a week since the start of Ravens training camp. It also came and went the way the first six practices have: without the team’s top running back on the field.

For now, J.K. Dobbins remains on the physically unable to perform list.

When the fourth-year running back will be back is unclear, though it is apparent he remains unhappy over his contract situation. Dobbins is in the final year of his rookie deal and doesn’t have an extension, and the NFL’s cratering running back market is only weakening his cause.

“I don’t know,” said Harbaugh when asked when Dobbins’ absence becomes a concern, adding the two talked Tuesday night. “It’s a fair question. There is a point in time when it does become a concern.

He has been in meetings during camp, according to Harbaugh, and shown up on the sideline a few times, chatting with teammates as well as owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Eric DeCosta and president Sashi Brown. But by essentially being a hold-in, Dobbins has also missed being on the field in a new offense under coordinator Todd Monken that, at least so far, has featured a lot of passes to running backs, along with a healthy dose of running plays.

How Ravens’ ‘Fantastic’ Tyler Linderbaum Is Building Off Rookie Year

Daniel Flick, Sports Illustrated

“We speak in codes a lot up front, and he now understands everything that takes place,” D’Alessandris said. ”And he’s really the coach’s voice and eyes on the field, so he’s reiterating what’s being taught in the classroom, and then he goes to the field, and we work on the field, and he’s continued doing that process.”

Perhaps more importantly, centers need to be followed by their teammates - as Linderbaum noted, he’s making the calls and the fronts, which forced him into a talking position.

The next step, he argues, is simply continuing what he’s already done, creating more trust from those around him in regard to his leadership up front.

As for the on-field aspect, Linderbaum believes he’s stronger than he was a year ago and spent his offseason working on technique and body positioning to better utilize that strength.

2023 NFL season: Scouting the AFC North, key facts to know about Bengals, Steelers, Ravens, Browns

Douglas Clawson, CBS Sports

Baltimore Ravens

Scouting report for 2023: An offseason of drama surprisingly ended with Lamar Jackson signing the richest contract in NFL history (at the time) to stay with Baltimore. Now the Ravens next challenge is translating their regular-season success to the playoffs in the Jackson era. The hiring of OC Todd Monken and additions of WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. represent their best shot at creating a championship contender with Jackson, one focused on the passing game.

Interesting fact to know for 2023: The Ravens have never had a WR make a Pro Bowl in their franchise history, the longest active drought (27 seasons) of any team without a Pro Bowl WR. Jackson has the most touchdown passes (95) of any player since 2019 without the help of a Pro Bowl WR. It’s not even close. Daniel Jones is second with 60.

Best fan moment – Super Bowl win: The Ravens have two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXXV against the Giants and Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers. Jacoby Jones had two incredible touchdowns against San Francisco, the first was a 56-yard catch, his only reception of the night, and the second was a 108-yard kick return, tied for the longest in NFL history at the time. The Ravens’ goal-line stand sealed the deal at the end of the game. To add to all the drama, there was a blackout in the middle of the contest.