Brown works to earn back his full nickname
Top draft pick ‘Hollywood’ participates in 1st team drills
Rookie Marquise Brown took his first step toward earning his full nickname Saturday, when he participated in his first team drills at Ravens training camp.
Brown, who has been easing into practice since recovering from surgery to repair a Lisfranc (foot) injury, has not had the chance to show the speed and ball skills that made “Hollywood” the Ravens’ first-round draft pick.
In the absence of proof, middle linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, whose nickname is “Peanut,” told Brown that until he starts making big plays, he’s just “Holly.”
Brown underwent surgery in January after he injured his left foot in Oklahoma’s Big 12 championship against Texas in early December. While the other rookies started acclimating to the NFL during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, Brown was off to the side, working by himself.
On July 30, Brown was cleared to practice. He participated in team warmups and positional drills, but once the Ravens hit team drills, Brown was back on the sideline.
Brown said he waited patiently until finally, on Saturday, he was able to get out there with the team. Brown played about a dozen snaps, making five receptions and dropping one pass, which was thrown a little behind him, although he said he still thought he should have made the play.
Although he didn’t run any deep routes, Brown caught what could have been a touchdown pass from quarterback Trace McSorley. McSorley hit Brown on a crossing route, and he evaded three defenders before breaking into the open field, a space college defenders never wanted him to reach.
“He went real fast,” wide receivers coach David Culley said. “I told him that I didn’t see anything that would say he’s been injured. He’s not quite where he was before, but I like where he’s at.”
Roster status
After trading guard Alex Lewis to the New York Jets on Monday, the Ravens filled their last roster spot by signing defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, the team said Saturday.
Qualls was a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, and he played in six games and made four tackles as a rookie. The Washington product did not make the Eagles’ 53-man roster last year and then was waived with a nonfootball injury by the Carolina Panthers on July 24.
The 6-foot-1, 321-pound Qualls was not signed in time to practice Saturday. Also missing from practice were running back Kenneth Dixon, wide receiver Seth Roberts, offensive lineman Randin Crecelius, cornerback Maurice Canady, and linebackers Nicholas Grigsby and Michael Onuoha.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Roberts, one of the team’s top receivers in training camp, will miss a week or two with an undisclosed injury. Onuoha, an undrafted free agent who is a long shot to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster, broke his wrist in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and will be out “for a little while.” The other absentees have minor injuries, Harbaugh said.
Backup quarterback Robert Griffin III is expected to be back to full strength by the first week of the regular season. Since fracturing his hand early in camp, Griffin has worn a protective device on his thumb, which affects his ability to grip the ball.
Extra points
■ Two days after a 4-for-4 performance against the Jaguars, backup kicker Kaare Vedvik went 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts in practice. He missed from 33 and 59 yards.
■ Safety Bennett Jackson followed his interception Thursday with another pick Saturday, this time against Joe Callahan. He showed impressive range in racing to the corner of the end zone to beat wide receiver Sean Modster to the ball. Cornerback Brandon Carr also had an interception near the goal line, making Lamar Jackson pay for his lone bad play of the afternoon.