The sun came out for Day 3 of Ravens training camp, and the offense took advantage of the improved conditions with nine straight completions to start Tuesday’s practice.
Josh Johnson and Emory Jones spread the ball around the field during the first set of 11-on-11 work, working the flats and finding open receivers sitting down against zone coverage. Rashod Bateman provided an early highlight with a circus catch down the right sideline, his second straight day with a tough downfield grab.
A rare drop from Mark Andrews ended the completion streak, and the defense started to take over from there, controlling the line of scrimmage and making plenty of plays on the ball down the field.
During 7-on-7’s, the Ravens’ quarterbacks seemed content taking everything underneath. When they did test Baltimore’s secondary deep, they were soundly rebuffed. Brandon Stephens spiked a deep ball intended for Rashod Bateman into the turf, and Arthur Maulet had the play of the day with a leaping interception – his third in three days – over Nelson Agholor. It’s hard to describe how high Maulet jumped to make the catch; it felt like he was airborne for a full second. (For reference, Michael Jordan’s hangtime record is 0.92 seconds.)
A few plays later, Maulet had another near-interception that went off his hands. For a lot of defensive backs, that would be a solid rep. For Maulet, it was a mistake that required 10 push-ups as penance before he retook the field. His steady slot play gives the Ravens’ secondary an embarrassment of riches – and options to move around versatile pieces like Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey.
Coming off an All-Pro season, Hamilton is looking to improve on all aspects of his game while emerging as a vocal leader on defense.
“There’s a lot of stuff that you guys may not notice that my coaches may not notice that I know I can improve on and do better at,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of plays that I left out there last year, and it gives me something to work on…in addition to leading and being more vocal.”
Hamilton didn’t quite expect to be the Ravens’ defensive Swiss-army knife when he entered the NFL.
“At Notre Dame, I did a little bit of everything. Coming into the league, I really didn’t expect to,” he said. “I more expected to play both safety spots, that was going to be the extent of my flexibility. It’s been awesome, just being able to move around, learn more about the defense.”
“Whatever they need me to do, I’m here for it, and I just want to get better at everything,” he concluded.
Hamilton’s versatility is fundamental to a defense that wants to be fast and aggressive, words that apply well to Marlon Humphrey, who has started training camp with a vengeance after struggling with injuries last year. He confirmed that he dropped some weight from last season, saying that he was a “little bit lighter” during some of his better seasons.
“I’ve really been taking advantage of Sarah [Snyder], our new nutritionist,” continued Humphrey, “Trying to lean on the resources the Ravens offer and do things the right way instead of my usual, which is just ‘don’t eat,’ which is not the best route.”
The former All-Pro has dropped to 190 pounds after playing the last few seasons around 200, which didn’t go unnoticed by Kyle Hamilton.
“He was getting a little gut last year,” said Hamilton with a laugh, “he had a little chunkiness.”
Both players have been back to business as usual to start training camp. For them, it’s more about getting back into tip-top shape and fine-tuning their chemistry with the talented starting defensive backs around them.
But for players further down the depth chart, training camp means everything – roster spots, playing time, and job security. This year, two of those players are Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams, both 2021 Day 3 picks who have struggled with injuries over the first two years of their career.
John Harbaugh seemed very optimistic when I asked him about the trajectory for his third-year cornerbacks. Here’s his full answer:
“Big year for both those guys. Pepe and Jalyn, they’re both practicing so well right now. I’m excited. First three days in, they’ve both been excellent. Jalyn has made multiple plays on the ball, Pepe hasn’t had those chances but he’s been in the right spots all the time. Pepe’s finally healthy. Jalyn’s finally healthy! I’m very confident that they’re going to do well.”
Indeed, Armour-Davis had a pass-breakup that almost resulted in an interception during today’s practice, and he was around the football yesterday, too.
Williams hasn’t been targeted as much – a good sign for a cornerback – and his feistiness on the field will show up when the ball comes his way.
Nate Wiggins – or ‘Nasty Nate,’ his nickname curtesy of Marlon Humphrey – is finally seeing some more targets after Baltimore’s QBs largely avoided him during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
“I feel like it’s a good thing, the ball getting passed my way, so I can better work on my technique, getting my eyes around for the ball, playing the ball better,” said Wiggins. He had a PBU on a hitch route to Malik Cunningham, who has reeled in almost everything thrown his way this summer.
With four clear starters in Humphrey, Hamilton, Brandon Stephens and Marcus Williams, DC Zach Orr will have to figure out how to get the most out of their loaded secondary with Maulet, Wiggins and new signing Eddie Jackson all pushing for snaps.
It’s a good problem to have, and the Ravens are hoping that it will become a serious issue for opposing offenses later this season.
