Recapping the Ravens First Week of Camp

Ravens Training Camp, 2021, did not start off the way anyone wanted to see with Lamar Jackson (the guy the entire Ravens season depends on) and Gus Edwards, testing positive for COVID-19. They will miss at least ten days, so I assume the earliest return date is August 7th.

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However, throughout the week it seemed like the offense has been humming, as the receivers and quarterbacks already appear to be on the same page. Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley both making impressive throws, multiple days in a row. Developing great chemistry with the receivers this early, hopefully is a good sign of things to come.

Sounds like it was a rough week for the O-line with Andre Smith struggling while we await Ronnie Stanley’s return to left tackle, and Bradley Bozeman botching two snaps on his first day under center. After the second one he ripped off the glove he was wearing and seemed to be fine the rest of day one. We should get a more accurate look at offensive line and defensive line play when the pads come on. Rookie edge rushers Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes have gotten praise for their speed, but they haven’t been knocked around much either.

Wide receiver depth is showing up early with James Proche being one of the bright spots in camp. Diving catches, physical deep grabs. He got head coach John Harbaugh’s attention. “That’s what he does, he just does everything right. He’s a serious competitor. We were in the weight room this morning and he was in there with us. Some of the coaches get in there early and he was right there with a lot of other guys. He works all the time. He works within the play, too. He finishes every play and you saw that today.”.

Tylan Wallace was spotted making a circus catch. Sammy Watkins looks like a guy not afraid of the tough catches in traffic and looks to be relied on as a chain mover. Marquise Brown showing off the speed with a few would be deep touchdowns, and on day three, Rashod Bateman beat Marlon Humphrey for a TD grab. He did so again in front of 23,589 Ravens fans at Saturday’s open practice at M&T Bank Stadium. Brown left day two of practice early and has yet to return. His situation is said to be minor. Bateman also left Saturday’s practice in the latter stages, but expects to be back today after Sunday’s off day

Offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, noted that he wants to get J.K. Dobbins more involved in the passing game. I think this is great, as Dobbins is obviously a threat anytime the ball is in his hands. Love his mentality, his confidence after day two of camp when he said, “I want to be one of the greatest. I want to be considered one of those top running backs in the league, so [being a better receiver is] one of the things I’ve got to do to be like an Alvin Kamara or a Christian McCaffrey. That’s what I’ve been working on.”

Receiving game aside, if Dobbins continues to rack up 6.0 yards per carry in the ground game like he did as a rookie, he will no doubt be one of the greatest. That 6.0 number is just behind one of the men he mentioned, Alvin Kamara, who posted a rookie record 6.1 YPC in his inaugural season.

The defense is very excited to have Tavon Young back in the mix. The other corners can play their natural positions, and Chuck Clark noted, “When we’ve got ‘Tay’ out there, we can do so many different things, and we’ve got so many different elements. A lot of guys can fill in in different spots, and he just brings a different element to us.”

Another guy to look out for is Nigel Warrior. Undrafted safety two years ago, has remained on the Ravens practice squad. They like him at safety but are giving him reps at corner. If he shows the versatility, it might be a ticket to the 53-man roster.

The final big piece of news wrapping up the week that was, is the addition of Justin Houston on a one-year deal worth $2 million, and another $2M in incentives. Houston claimed he “wanted to be here months ago,” (he first visited in April). But a deal was delayed for “business reasons” ($$ ? Did Melvin Ingram’s 1/$4M deal with Pittsburgh set the market for Houston?). Marcus Peters, Houston’s teammate in Kansas City for three years, was part of the recruiting process. At this point it’s unknown when he’ll get on the field. Houston is unvaccinated [rolls eyes] putting him in a minimum five-day hold upon arriving in town. He needs to pass their physical, conditioning, etc.

Adding Justin Houston comes with some question marks from a performance standpoint. Despite notching sack totals of 9.5, 9.0, 11.0, and 8.0 over the last four seasons, he saw a major dip in pressures generated going from 60 in 433 pass rush assignments in 2019, down to 32 in 388 assignments in 2020.

Houston’s pass rush productivity in 2020 was a below average at 5.3. League leader was Joey Bosa at 10.6, then T.J. Watt at 9.7. On the Ravens that ranked below Matt Judon (8.3), Tyus Bowser (7.0), Pernell McPhee (7.0), Jihad Ward (6.4), and Yannick Ngakoue (5.8). But ranked higher than Jaylon Ferguson (4.9). I think it’s clear that Houston’s addition puts Ferguson squarely on the bubble.

What isn’t a question though is the knowledge the 32-year-old veteran will bring to a room of young pass rushers. Especially Odafe Oweh. A rookie with gifted physical traits, but a raw prospect who would need to work on technique to truly perfect the craft. Houston can certainly be of help in that respect. If Houston’s sack number in relation to his pressure rate last year wasn’t a fluke, then it speaks to his ability to finish, to bring down the quarterback. It’s one of the question marks in Oweh’s game after notching zero sacks in his final season at Penn State, though still earning All-Big Ten honors for his work.

The Ravens should get into pads this week; we’ll see if that changes the complexion a little bit. See if the defense starts to raise some eyebrows the way the offense did in week 1, now that they can get more physical.