Checking out superlatives — so far — at Ravens camp
It’s still a bit early for fans to get too high or too low
Early in training camp, Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale cautioned that he would not act hastily. Not with how he organized his defense, not with how he answered reporters’ questions.
“I talked to the defense the first night there, and I said, ‘Give me 10 days. Give me 10 practices, and I’ll let us know where we’re at,’ ” he recalled.
The Ravens are close to knowing where they’re at. Monday’s joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars will be the first of two this week and their 10th overall of camp.
With the regular season just over a month away, the workouts should give the Ravens a clearer idea of where they stand in all three phases.
Some things are already known: Lamar Jackson is the team’s most important player, and the secondary and kicker Justin Tucker should be among the NFL’s most reliable forces.
But the first week and a half in Owings Mills has also revealed a few other superlatives.
Most overblown wobbles
Jackson might never throw a deep ball like Patrick Mahomes. And that’s fine. If he did, the former Heisman Trophy winner wouldn’t have lasted until the No. 32 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, and the Ravens would probably be entering another season wondering how to win with Joe Flacco’s supersize contract.
But Jackson has other gifts, among them a capacity for self-improvement. And ahead of the Ravens’ first preseason game Thursday, the quarterback who opened camp with fluttering, wounded-duck deep passes has shown he can put the ball where it needs to go, aesthetics be damned.
It will not be easy for Jackson this season. The Ravens have what’s widely considered one of the worst rosters of wide receivers in the NFL, if not the worst overall. Defenses have had an entire offseason to prepare for offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s innovating running schemes. Talk of a “revolutionary” offense might prove awfully premature.
Success in the modern NFL, though, requires a competent passer, and Jackson has looked the part. Yes, his sidearm throws are a little scary. No, his wobbly long bombs do not inspire wonder. But that’s Jackson, unconventional and bold and learning as he goes along.
Happiest assistant coach
First-year tight ends coach Bobby Engram has what every coach — in any sport, at any level — would want: a young, talented core; a blend of personalities that makes 90-degree practices and long summer days less tedious; and a system that amplifies his players’ skill sets.
Mark Andrews has been the offense’s most consistent skill player throughout camp, doubling as a security blanket underneath for Jackson and a big-play threat over the middle. Hayden Hurst has come on strong of late, and his added weight could make him the team’s most wellrounded tight end by the start of the season. Nick Boyle is getting open surprisingly often for someone who routinely functions as a sixth offensive lineman. Even undrafted free agents Charles Scarff and Cole Herdman have been pleasant surprises.
Considering the group’s off-field chemistry and the offense’s reliance on the position — the Ravens have rolled out three-tight end formations in passing situations this summer — Engram has to be pleased. (With Jackson’s development, quarterbacks coach James Urban might be a close second. But Robert Griffin III’s hand injury is tough to overlook.)
Most significant nonstory
The Ravens entered training camp with two problem areas along their offensive line, one big and one small. The bigger issue is still festering: No one seems capable of pushing James Hurst for the starting left guard spot. Jermaine Eluemunor came in out of shape, Ben Powers is just a rookie and Alex Lewis hasn’t been cleared to play.
But there has been little noise and even less consternation about Matt Skura. The oft-criticized center went through offseason practices with the stamp of approval from Ravens coaches, and Bradley Bozeman hasn’t pushed him yet in his second summer in Baltimore. Harbaugh said “Bozeman thinks it’s a competition” but didn’t seem to think much of the notion.
Whether that reflects more on Skura’s improvements or Bozeman’s shortcomings will come into focus this preseason. For now, Skura can focus only on what’s in front of him — and facing Michael Pierce, Brandon Williams and Willie Henry Jr. daily in practice is a darn good way to prepare. who needed a one-handed grab to beat Young, there have been a lot of quiet mornings in his neighborhood.
When Young signed a three-year, $25.8 million contract extension with a max value of $29 million this offseason, Harbaugh said the “math works because of who the player is.” Given the quality of slot receivers in the AFC North and around the league, an ignored Young is a good Young.