We’re up to 19 NFL training camps, and today’s was with the team that was the NFL’s best for much of last season. Here’s what I’m taking from my day with the Baltimore Ravens …
• Lamar Jackson looks smooth in his second camp playing for offensive coordinator Todd Monken—the NFL’s reigning MVP spent a considerable amount of time with his offensive coaches this offseason fitting the offense to what he’s most comfortable with, and it’s been apparent in how he’s played this summer. That’s also allowed him to become more of a field general out there with his teammates, and you can see it in his command and ability to adjust at the line of scrimmage, something we’ll dig into more here on the site soon. And that’s part of why, by the way, the Ravens are really excited about the gains they’re seeing from TE Isaiah Likely and WR Zay Flowers in the passing game. The chemistry between Jackson and those two was pretty apparent at Wednesday’s practice.
• Jackson taking more ownership of the offense has coincided with the team’s young veteran core on defense—namely defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebacker Roquan Smith and safety Kyle Hamilton (especially Hamilton)—collaborating to do the same. It’s about holding guys accountable, and it’s setting a tone. It’s also knowing when a younger guy needs a hand with something. The best NFL teams are always player-led. And it’s not like the Ravens weren’t last year. But there’s been a difference this year, and having a guy like that at quarterback, and one at each level of the defense, should make a difference.
• It’s hard not to notice Derrick Henry’s presence, and conjure up a vision for what Baltimore’s offense will look like when defenses have to deal with option looks that have Jackson and the 6'3", 247-pound wrecking ball coming at them. Henry’s drive and work ethic have also made him a nice culture fit for John Harbaugh’s program. The Ravens have Justice Hill to spell him, but it’s setting up for Henry to be a bellcow in Monken’s offense, the way he was for all of those years with the Tennessee Titans.
• One obvious question is what happens to the offensive line after the Ravens lost starters John Simpson, Morgan Moses and Kevin Zeitler off last year’s group? The two guard spots seem relatively solid, with guys who’ve been developed through the program. Andrew Vorhees, who fell in the 2023 NFL draft after tearing his ACL at the combine, has had an excellent summer at left guard, proving himself a strong, blue-collar bully. And Daniel Faalele, a mountain of a man, is “down” to about 380 pounds, and should be a hammer at right guard. Things are a little more unsettled at right tackle, where rookie Roger Rosengarten has made a real push for the job, with veterans Patrick Mekari and Josh Jones also in the mix. So through their well-worn player-development machine, Baltimore feels good about where the line is with the season three weeks out. What might be most important, in fact, is that left tackle Ronnie Stanley returns to form, and proves that he can still anchor the way he could before he hit some bad luck injury-wise.
• On defense, the Ravens need some of their highly drafted young guys—former first-round pick Odafe Oweh and former second-rounder David Ojabo—to step up with Jadeveon Clowney gone. Both have a boatload of potential, and this would be a good time for them to turn the corner. At the same time, there’s less of a question on how the Ravens will replace Patrick Queen, with second-year man Trenton Simpson looking like he could actually evolve into an upgrade at the position.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ravens Camp Takeaways: Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry Forming Fearsome Backfield.
