The Ravens held a more subdued practice on Thursday, their last before their second preseason game on Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Falcons.
It was a shorter, slower practice at The Castle, but I nailed today’s @RussellStReport daily camp update c/o @LifeMedInst in one take! pic.twitter.com/JGT90XTYHV
— Nikhil Mehta (@nikknowsball) August 15, 2024
Lamar Jackson started out hot, completing his first four passes, three of which found the hands of fourth-year receiver Tylan Wallace. Wallace has mostly featured on special teams in Baltimore, but he had one of his best offensive performances of the summer on Thursday with four catches on five targets.
The Ravens have added some competition to their wide receiver room in recent weeks with Russell Gage and Anthony Miller, but Wallace’s special teams prowess should keep him firmly in the roster picture. He’ll have a chance to contribute on offense, too; no WR pecking order has emerged behind the clear top three of Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, and Rashod Bateman. Saturday’s matchup with the Falcons will be Wallace’s next chance to solidify a role in Todd Monken’s dynamic offense.
Miller has flashed his fresh legs and veteran experience in practice since joining the team, adding four catches on Thursday on a variety of routes. The Ravens still like Deonte Harty as an impact kick returner, but Miller could push for a roster spot if he can carve out a role on offense. Like Wallace, he’ll get his opportunity to do so on Saturday, though his lack of special teams experience may hurt his roster chances in Baltimore.
Jackson finished approximately 18-23 on the day, stacking another practice with a near-80% completion rate. He didn’t push the ball down the sidelines as aggressively as Tuesday’s practice, but he consistently gained chunks of yards over the middle of the field, along with a red zone interception to undrafted rookie linebacker Yvandy Rigby.
As usual, Jackson targeted Flowers on several occasions, with the second-year wideout reeling in all five of his targets. Three of Flowers’ receptions went for at least 15 yards in the air, plus a touchdown in the flat during a goal-to-go situational drill.
Undrafted rookie tight end Qadir Ismail provided yet another highlight play, with a diving back shoulder touchdown catch from Josh Johnson in the red zone with Ar’Darius Washington in coverage. Ismail also beat Jalyn Armour-Davis up the seam earlier in the afternoon.
The Ravens offense had far more success in the run game on Thursday than the previous few practices, with Derrick Henry finding some big holes throughout the day. He’s smoothly acclimated to Todd Monken’s offense and looks very comfortable taking handoffs out of the shotgun, which was a minor concern of RB coach Willie Taggert when they signed Henry back in March.
