‘Solid’ Jackson returns to practice
Harbaugh: QB ‘looked good’ after missing 2 straight days
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson returned to practice Monday morning after a confusing two-day absence.
The NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player missed practice Saturday with what assistant head coach David Culley called a tired arm, and after another no-show Sunday, coach John Harbaugh said it was a “soft-tissue thing.” ESPN reported Sunday night that Jackson was dealing with a minor groin injury.
Jackson was not especially mobile during the “shells” practice (shoulder pads and helmets), but he had a solid day passing.
“He was back,” Harbaugh said after practice in a video conference call. “He looked good. He had a good practice, so we’re moving forward, like I said.”
Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters also returned after missing two days with a soft-tissue injury.
Running back Justice Hill, who’s dealing with his own soft-tissue injury, did not practice. Defensive end Calais Campbell was out with a maintenance day, and wide receiver Chris Moore (finger), tight end Eli Wolf, running back and returner Kenjon Barner and cornerback Josh Nurse were also absent.
Harbaugh said he hopes Wolf will return “in the next couple of days” and indicated that the team’s other injuries aren’t serious.
Clark moving on from Thomas incident
Ravens safety Chuck Clark on Monday declined to comment on the on-field altercation with Earl Thomas III that led to the Pro Bowl safety’s abrupt release Sunday,
saying the team had moved on.
“I’m doing good, but right now, as a team and as an organization, we’re just moving forward and putting that situation in the rearview,” Clark said in his first comments of training camp. “We’re just trying to get through training camp healthy and get to to the first game.”
On Friday, Clark confronted Thomas after a coverage breakdown that Thomas later acknowledged was his fault. The players twice had to be separated, and Clark left the practice field before the end of the
session. Thomas was told to go home and did not practice Saturday.
On Sunday, the Ravens announced that they’d terminated Thomas’ contract for “personal conduct that has adversely affected” the team. If the Ravens attempt to void the $10 million in guaranteed base salary owed to Thomas, he’s expected to file a grievance with the NFL Players Association.
Clark, a respected leader who wears the team’s defensive headset, was asked Monday whether the team’s decision had made
him feel like a weight had been lifted.
“I mean, I’m done addressing that, honestly, and the organization as well,” Clark said. “So we’re just moving forward at this point.
DeShon Elliott is, like Thomas, a former Texas standout. He also shares the same agent as the safety he’ll try to replace. “So of course I respect Earl and his game,” he said Monday.
But he added: “I’m not worried about Earl. I’m worried about me and what I can bring to this team.”