The first noticeable difference about Lamar Jackson is the tight spiral he puts on the ball.
Next, his footwork has vastly improved.
Third, Jackson did a solid job finding receivers running along the sidelines and in the middle of the field.
There were some hiccups, namely an interception in the red zone by safety Chuck Clark, and some wobbly throws on deep balls.
In the end, Jackson had an encouraging first day of training camp.
Robert Griffin III also was solid and the highlight of his day was throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to undrafted rookie receiver Antoine Wesley on a go route.
The Ravens also showed some creativity with their offense. Running back Mark Ingram lined up in the slot and at wide receiver.
The tight ends got plenty of work with Hayden Hurst perhaps having the most impressive day with a number of acrobatic catches. Mark Andrews was also characteristically reliable and Nick Boyle is already showing he can be a force this season. The tight ends also lined up outside as wide receivers in another wrinkle to the offense.
A pair of rookie receivers, Miles Boykin and Antoine Wesley, both flashed and played effectively most of the day. Boykin had a couple of one-handed grabs and could push for a starting job.
First round pick and fellow receiver Hollywood Brown did not practice and spent most of the morning focused on running drills. Brown is still recovering from surgery on a Lisfranc injury and the Ravens are not going to rush him back into action.
Defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who was removed from practice at mandatory minicamp because of weight issues, has lost close to 30 pounds. He also looked solid most of the day and appears to have bounced back from the adversity.
Conditioning Test Failures
The news wasn’t all good.
Second-year right tackle Orlando Brown and left guard Jermaine Eluemunor did not pass their conditioning tests and were held out of practice, As a result, Ben Powers, a rookie fourth-round pick, took reps with the first team at left guard and James Hurst moved to right tackle. The offensive line did have some breakdowns against the defense.
Linebacker Shane Ray was also held out for failing the conditioning test.
“We want to make sure they’re ready to practice the way we want to practice,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We have a standard for that, and we stick to it.”
Also not practicing were offensive lineman Alex Lewis (PUP) and receiver Quincy Adeboyejo (undisclosed).
NOTES
Hayden Hurst and safety DeShon Elliott got into a minor shoving match after an incomplete pass in the middle of the field. Nothing escalated as both players walked away. … Cornerback Tavon Young blitzed past the defensive line and was in the backfield for what have been an easy sack on Jackson. … Chris Board ran with the first team at weak-side linebacker.
