Greetings again Flock. It’s been just 48 hours since I filled in for Kevin, and here I am back again pinch hitting for DMac as he covers the Little League Softball World Series.
Let’s get right to it…
One of the few open positions on the 2023 Ravens is the left guard spot. Ben Cleveland would seem to be the logical choice, but seems to have fallen out of favor among the coaching staff. Rookie Sala Aumavae-Laulu (AKA “Sala”) has been getting a lot of reps and turning heads.
Sala Aumavae-Laulu has gotten a ton of first-team reps during Training Camp, and remains in the mix for that starting LG spot.
Today, the rookie sixth round pick received some high praise from his head coach, position coach, and his teammates #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/ogMYNQ5STf
— Rocco DiSangro (@RoccoDiSangro) August 2, 2023
It would be great to see the rookie seize the spot, but a sixth-rounder coming in a starting right away would be a bit of a surprise. We know the Ravens value their offensive line, as does any franchise with a highly-paid quarterback they need to protect, so this is certainly a position of intrigue as the weeks go on.
"Whenever we've been good, our offensive line has been really good." https://t.co/apHOgrQXzw
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 3, 2023
Moving from current to former Ravens, Dez Bryant has some 2023 predictions that the Flock will eagerly get behind:
Couple of takes here
Hell no A Rod far from washed Big year coming! And that’s it
the Ravens taking the AFC not because of the power and speed on offense or the Defense but because of Todd Monken
Lamar winning MVP
I’m sorry chiefs fans 😞 lol
You guys know I rock with… https://t.co/u28wcQn9mx
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 2, 2023
Be honest: you forgot Dez was a Raven, didn’t you? That’s forgivable.
But he likes Lamar Jackson to win the MVP award, and the Ravens to represent the STACKED AFC in the Super Bowl, thanks to the addition of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Maybe this is just a shot at Greg Roman, after Bryant spent a few months in his offense, but either way, we love to hear it.
Finally today, NBC’s Peter King (formerly of Sports Illustrated, fellow olds) has been visiting training camps, and says that the most impressive rookie he’s seen so far was in Owings Mills.
Peter King thinks Zay Flowers is “the most impressive rookie” in the six training camps he’s seen so far in 2023. Did the Ravens finally draft a dominant wide receiver? https://t.co/PJfzHsHwqS
— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) August 3, 2023
So we of course need to add the caveat that King has only visited six camps so far, less than 1/5 of the league. Can we assume that Zay will be, at worst, the fifth most impressive rookie he’s seen?
I declare that we can.
