Can you feel the excitement in the air? Rejoice with us Ravens flock, for this is the last week until at least January (and hopefully even longer) that the purple birds in Owings Mills won’t be on the football field. Sure, we may still have a little less than two months before the games actually count, but this time of year is for the diehards. It’s for those of us who don’t mind standing in 100-degree heat at the team facility just to get a glimpse of what the 2022 Ravens will look like in training camp. For the ones who eat, sleep, and breathe Baltimore football, the season is all but here.
Before we get to THAT kind of football though, the Ravens hosted their less physical but also very exciting cousin this weekend at M&T Bank Stadium. European staples Arsenal and Everton played a preseason friendly on this side of the pond on Saturday, resulting in a 2-0 win for Arsenal led by the newly signed Gabriel Jesus as they set their sights on the Premiere League crown in 2023.
Almost time for the Charm City Match between @Arsenal and @Everton❗️
Get walk-up tickets at the box office or here: https://t.co/1r0bvdddG4 pic.twitter.com/VI16YPLQHI
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 16, 2022
Even our own resident footy fan Marlon Humphrey was able to get in on the fun by hosting an episode of “Studio 44” featuring two of Arsenal’s best (Takehiro Tomiyasu and Rob Holding) and warming up with the squad prior to the match.
Special episode of Studio 44 incoming❗️@RobHolding95 and Takehiro Tomiyasu from @Arsenal join @marlon_humphrey for a new episode dropping Monday at 11 a.m. on YouTube❗️
Don't miss the Charm City Match tonight ➡️ https://t.co/1r0bvdddG4 pic.twitter.com/SROIKA4sdZ
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 16, 2022
.@RobHolding95 showing @marlon_humphrey how it’s done‼️@Arsenal in the Charm City Match this Saturday: https://t.co/1r0bvdddG4 pic.twitter.com/87GkMRzDVH
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 14, 2022
Speaking of Marlon, is anyone getting tired of his Twitter antics yet?
The Ravens is named after Edgar Allen Poe??? I’m mind blown right now..
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) July 15, 2022
Joking of course, but it is funny to think about the prospects of him having played in Baltimore for five years and not once making the connection to Edgar Allen Poe. Did he think all the gothic themed decor during intros every week was just because Baltimoreans really like Halloween? Apparently somebody forgot to introduce him to the mascot on his first day back in 2017.
Happy Birthday to the already legendary @FTK2662 😂🎉 pic.twitter.com/rvImKKId10
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 15, 2022
We’d also be remiss not to send a happy belated birthday to newly drafted Raven Pepe Williams! One of the more under-the-radar draft choices, Williams was a stud at the University of Houston, helping to completely rebuild their secondary while also leading the team in solo tackles. That’s right, as a cornerback, he led the ENTIRE team. We all hope you enjoyed your day Pepe, and we can’t wait to see you take the field this year!
Ravens OT Daniel Faalele (fourth round) and CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (fourth round) have signed their rookie contracts.
Only OLB David Ojabo (second round) remains unsigned. Training camp starts in less than two weeks.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) July 16, 2022
As the old saying goes, “better late than never.” We’re not talking about my work habits though, we’re talking about the Ravens locking in two more of their rookies to their first NFL contracts. While it was likely always a formality, Daniel Faalele and Jalyn Armour-Davis are officially Baltimore Ravens for at least the next few years. The team has high hopes for both at their respective positions (RT, CB), and both have the physical traits to justify said hopes. All that’s left now is for the Ravens to sign David Ojabo, who has likely just been away rehabbing, and the class will be complete!
Here’s how the Orlando Brown JR trade turned out. #Chiefs #Ravens
KC: LT Orlando Brown
LB Nick Bolton (58th)
CB Mike Hughes trade (2022-191)BAL: OLB Odafe Oweh (31)
OG Ben Cleveland (94)
4th traded to ARI
CB Shaun Wade (160th)
2022 5th (173) -traded to NYG— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) July 15, 2022
The Ravens’ trade last year with the Kansas City Chiefs is all but finalized, and here’s how it stands now. While Nick Bolton was a solid find for Kansas City on the defensive side of the ball, you can’t help but wonder if they regret the move with a year+ of hindsight at this point.
After a 2021 regular season where Orlando Brown Jr. was admittedly very good in the run game but average in the pass, the wheels began to fall off for him in the playoffs which clearly rippled through the rest of the offense. Now, the Chiefs don’t even know if they’ll have him for this season as he continues to hold out for a massive deal, and by massive, well, see for yourself.
And yes, the Chiefs offered Orlando Brown Jr. a 6-year deal that was just over the average salary per year than what Trent Williams signed with the 49ers last year ($23 million).
The structure of the deal, though, was the issue for Brown.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) July 15, 2022
Not great! While we always want to see a player get as much money as they can, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the driving force behind Brown leaving Baltimore to pursue being a left tackle wasn’t what he originally stated. Sure, the idea of following in his father’s footsteps is probably still in the back of his mind, but ultimately he was holding the Ravens up for an amount of guaranteed money that he simply didn’t deserve, and used that original reason as a scapegoat to save face. Oh well, Baltimore ended up getting their premiere pass rusher of the future out of the deal in Odafe Oweh. So enjoy Kansas City, he’s your headache now.
@Ravens this year pic.twitter.com/5tvHV2Nl4W
— Lamar Bateman 😈 (@LamarBateman) July 13, 2022
To wrap things up, this edition of the “Ravens photo of the week” is potentially the most chaotic we’ve had thus far. This bird has seen some things, been some places, and stolen some souls in the process. Let’s just hope it’s an accurate representation of what the 2022 Baltimore Ravens have in store for their opponents!
