During most of my days covering the Ravens, the defense more times than not won the day during training camp practices. In the past that had a lot to do with the fact that there was just more talent on the defensive side of the ball. Today without Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley and Alejandro Villanueva, Greg Roman’s troops were at a decided disadvantage and I had that déjà vu feeling.
Of concern is the offensive line. Granted, it’s difficult to gel as a unit with missing parts, but at least on paper it appeared that GM Eric DeCosta had plugged in some holes in a line, that towards the end of last season looked like a leaky dike. Too often during this training camp, the leaks have remained.
The team has talented skill position players and if plays can develop, I think you’ll see a more balanced and versatile offense. But now that there are 6 practices in the books and this line continues to lose the battle in the trenches, color me mildly concerned. Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley are too often either forced to throw on the run or while backpedaling. It’s not a sight for sore eyes.
And given these concerns, I was mildly surprised that Villanueva took a vet day off today, the first fully-padded practice. Perhaps it’s prudent not to read too much into that but it would have been nice to see the first-year Raven scuffling throughout the amplified physicality courtesy of the full armor. If there’s a single need on this team right now, my vote goes to swing tackle. Andre Smith and recent FA signing Michael Schofield do NOT look like the answer(s).
SIDE BAR: One does have to give the offense a little leeway since practices are essentially passing camps and the defense can just tee off with little to no regard for the run game.
So, as you might suspect, neither quarterback was particularly impressive although things started well. To open up the 11-on-11, McSorley hit Deon Cain on a 40 yard 9-route down the left sideline, beating Marlon Humphrey. The connection was a bit of an eye opener for Humphrey who seemed to play particularly sticky during the balance of the session and had a very good day overall. Cain also had a productive day, hauling in several passes thanks in part to a bigger workload due to the absences of Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin.
James Proche continues to stack, with another impressive day. His movements are so efficient that there’s bound to be some separation, especially if he’s a first or second read…Tylan Wallace seems to be settling in and is playing more confidently. During OTA’s he was confused at times pre-snap but now he’s more assured and that flows through to his play…Jaylon Moore who has flashed at times during this year’s camp and in 2020, had a nice toe-tap catch on the right sideline for a modest gain…J.K. Dobbins is putting in the work to refine his skills as a pass catcher. The results are positive…Josh Oliver has shown his skills as a receiver during camp. Today during scrimmaging he did a nice job of engaging Odafe Oweh and turning him a bit to give Dobbins an opportunity to bounce outside for nice gain.
Across the defensive front the rookie edge defenders continue to impress. Oweh has been regarded by most as “raw”. If true, then he’s a quick study. During OTA’s he wasn’t all that noticeable although Daelin Hayes was. Now, both flash regularly. Both hustle and play to the whistle nonstop. It would be nice to see them compete against more formidable tackles. Preseason games should be interesting…Justin Madubuike with another solid day. He has a very quick first step and seems to be reading his keys well while trusting his instincts. On consecutive reps in individual drills pitting DL v. OL, Madubuike got the best of Ben Cleveland and Kevin Zeitler. After the rep with Zeitler, the starting right guard limped a bit. My guess is that the hard-charging 2nd-year D-Lineman stepped on KZ.
OTHER CAMP OBSERVATIONS (in no particular order)
• Tavon Young closed on a short pass to Eli Wolf and quickly dropped the TE who has a 53-pound advantage. We all know the value Young provides and how his skill set really opens up the playbook for Wink.
• The kick return duties belong to Devin Duvernay but one of the more interesting players taking reps at KR was Khalil Dorsey. Players like Dorsey need to contribute in other areas in order to justify their reserve role. The 2nd-year player from Northern Arizona looked smooth and comfortable, handling the kicks flawlessly. It’s a plus to bring a defensive mentality to a returner’s position…Deon Cain also fielded kicks and looked equally as comfortable.
• Pass rushers quit as they close in on the QB by design in order to prevent injury. But if they were let loose, McSorley and Huntley would spend tomorrow in the cold tub. Today would have been a sack smorgasbord.
• When the Ravens drafted Brandon Stephens, it was a third-round headscratcher. But after watching him play, the athleticism jumps out and his movements are natural and fluid. He played mostly at safety today. I have a feeling one day this is another pick that DeCosta will be lauded for.
• During 7-on-7’s there was a mix up in coverage assignments and Patrick Queen spotted it. So did McSorley who looked to exploit what he thought might be a mismatch and directed Nate McCrary in motion. Queen tracked him across the field and dropped the RB near the LOS. Excellent recovery.
• The Ravens have added some wrinkles on offense, most of which seem to be intended to take advantage of opponents over-committing to the run. It will be interesting to see if the team unveils the wrinkles during the preseason.
• Word is that the Justin Houston who most recently wore No. 50 in Indianapolis, has taken No. 48 – for now. No. 50 is currently worn by 3rd-year LB Otaro Alaka. Alaka spent 2019 on IR and last season played in 5 games, during which he made one tackle during a 27-3 win over the Bengals. Will Houston get his old number after all?
• Ben Mason is built for padded practices. He lives for it. So it’s really no surprise that he was in the middle of today’s two brief skirmishes. The first encounter was with Jaylon Ferguson (still waiting for him to flash) and the second with Patrick Queen. Mason only held his ground but didn’t swing or push. Ferguson threw a couple of haymakers while Queen just pushed Mason after a standstill.
Justin Tucker just missed from 64 yards out. Wide left!
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) August 3, 2021
RAVENS PLAYER OF THE DAY
It’s a pleasure to see and hear the joy that Calais Campbell brings to the field. It’s even more pleasurable when he’s productive. Looking more fit than he did in 2020, Campbell was a monster on the field today. He swatted away just about everyone he lined up against including Ben Powers, Adrian Ealy and Andre Smith. If today was a preseason game, Campbell would have had at least two sacks and multiple pressures.
