RGIII hurts hand at practice
Backup QB reportedly could be out for up to eight weeks
Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin III left Saturday night’s practice after hurting the thumb on his right (throwing) hand, an injury that could leave the team perilously thin under center early in the regular season.
Griffin suffered a hairline fracture in the thumb, according to ESPN, and is expected to be out for four to eight weeks. Under that timeline, Griffin could miss the Ravens’ season opener against the Miami Dolphins and their Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Griffin, who appeared distraught after the open practice at M&T Bank Stadium concluded, said he hit his hand on the helmet of an onrushing defender. Griffin said he underwent X-rays but declined to comment further on the injury.
“I can’t tell you guys anything,” said Griffin, who was able to sign autographs afterward with his right hand. “It’s not my job. I’ve got to let the team tell you. I was having a great camp, felt good, so I’m really excited about what we’re going to be able to do this year.”
Griffin was injured after hitting outside linebacker Tim Williams as he followed through on a pass. Williams embraced Griffin after the throw, seemingly as a goodwill gesture. “Guess that’s why they tell them to stay away from us” during practice, Griffin said of the play.
One year after making his way off the roster bubble and on to the Ravens’ 53-man roster, Griffin was poised to enter his second season in Baltimore as the team’s steady hand behind Lamar Jackson. The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Washington Redskins can replicate some of Jackson’s dual-threat ability, an important attribute in coordinator Greg Roman’s offense.
The only other quarterback on the Ravens’ roster is rookie Trace McSorley, whom the team drafted in the sixth round and has envisioned as a potential special teams weapon. With Griffin expected to be out several weeks, the Ravens will need to sign another quarterback to their 90-man roster.
“We’ll see what happened," coach John Harbaugh said. “Everybody say a prayer. I don’t think it’s bad, but say a prayer on that one.”
Jackson, Boykin click
If Lamar Jackson’s first evening with Miles Boykin at M&T Bank Stadium was a preview of their partnership in Baltimore, the Ravens’ young tandem has a bright future together.
In the opening 11-on-11 and seven-onseven periods at the open practice Saturday night, held before an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 fans, the second-year quarterback and rookie wide receiver connected on four passes, including three for big gains.
Boykin, a third-round draft pick out of Notre Dame, first overcame cornerback Anthony Averett for a solid gain on a crossing pattern. Then he beat cornerback Jimmy Smith down the sideline. Boykin’s first big play set up Jackson’s first touchdown, on a slant by new receiver Seth Roberts close to the goal line.
In seven-on-seven action, Jackson found Boykin down the left sideline again on a perfectly placed, no-wobble touch pass. The throw split the zone seam between the nearest cornerback and safety, and Boykin all but walked in for a score. Not long after, Boykin beat Smith again for a big gain on yet another deep route.
Other early offensive highlights from the Ravens’ first padded practice included a one-handed catch by undrafted free agent tight end Cole Herdman in a three-on-three drill and a couple of nice completions by tight end Mark Andrews.