Yesterday, we turned a page in the offseason book, with teams across the league resuming optional OTAs.
Ravens are among the 20 teams who begin Organized Team Activities today.
This is Phase 3 of offseason program and lasts 4 weeks. Teams may conduct 10 days of OTAs. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.
OTA media availability is Wednesday.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) May 22, 2023
The activities that took place yesterday weren’t open to the media, other than in-house personnel from the Ravens…
First day of OTAs ✅ pic.twitter.com/xg4IeucEaD
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 22, 2023
…so not much was revealed from The Castle, but that should change today. Not only will media members be back inside the facility to report on the workouts, but Coach Harbaugh is also scheduled to field questions once the activities are complete.
John Harbaugh and several players will speak with media at 2:10 pm EST after Wednesday’s OTA practice.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 22, 2023
Unfortunately, I won’t be in attendance to ask Harbs questions, because I’ll be stuck at my regular-people job (sigh), but the occasion did get me thinking about what I’d ask about if I were in the scrum tomorrow. A couple of the burning questions that come to mind are…
Right now, what does the division of labor look like among the top trio at WR?
Rashod Bateman is back on the field at the first day of OTAs following last year's foot surgery. That's a big deal for the Ravens offense.https://t.co/zaxC64tGpb
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) May 22, 2023
Outside of Lamar Jackson’s contract extension, there’s been no bigger story around the Ravens than their overhaul at wide receiver. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham, Jr. now stand as the top three options at wideout, but will there be a true WR1 in this offense?
From what we know about Todd Monken’s system, the Ravens are still likely to lean heavily on the run, so don’t expect these guys to become the Air Raid Offense overnight. Still, between their combined talent and a system that hopefully doesn’t have multiple guys routed to the exact same spot on the field (*glares in Greg Roman’s direction*), it may be a matter of matchups week to week rather than a workhorse emerging. Not to make it sound like an afterthought, but the possibility also exists that the offense continues to operate through one of the best tight ends in the league in Mark Andrews.
Having a lot of mouths to feed in the receiving game is an unfamiliar feeling, but certainly a good problem to have.
With Calais Campbell’s departure, what does this new defensive front look like?
While Calais was only one guy, he was a big deal as the heart and soul of that unit. Campbell’s large presence, physical and otherwise, are hard to replace. There aren’t a lot of 6’8” All-Pros just laying around. Regardless, the Ravens have to figure out how maintain their bruising presence up front, and it’ll be up to the wave of young players in that personnel group to try to establish a new leader. It seems that Roquan Smith has certainly embraced the leadership role on the defensive as a whole, and his long-term contract means he’ll be the vocal leader for the foreseeable future, but what about in the D-line group?
Michael Pierce’s return from injury, along with his segmented tenure with the team, suggest that he could lend a veteran presence to this group. Still, the coaching staff likely won’t be leaning too heavily on Pierce while he gets back up to game speed, meaning that returning players like Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington are going to have their work cut out for them on the interior of the D-line. Second-year DT Travis Jones will likely get much more work this year, but I’m interested in seeing if Mike Macdonald will deploy Tavius Robinson to the inside of the D-line as well. Robinson’s 6’6” frame and absurd 79” wingspan could help the Ravens make up what they’re missing in Campbell’s ability to swat the ball at the line, but only if the defensive staff feels comfortable occasionally moving him off the edge.
I’m going to change gears entirely before I wrap this piece up, but I do hope this is something that’s discussed by the team in the next few days. Those of you more heavily connected to the Ravens Twitter-sphere may know that the community experienced a loss a few days ago. Chuck, known by many through his Ravens-heavy Twitter account, @purplereignera, reportedly passed away, and many close to the team expressed an out-pouring of condolences, including Lamar Jackson.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾Damn bro check on the ones that’s always in great spirits #Prayingforyourlilones #MentalHealthAwareness https://t.co/UQLpDjoE8l
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) May 21, 2023
I want to express my condolences to Chuck’s family and loved ones, and to acknowledge that the love and support from the community as they mourn his passing doesn’t go unnoticed. We may argue over amongst ourselves sometimes, but this group has a way of coming together when it truly matters.
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.
