With camp underway, the Ravens have embarked on the long journey that we all hope culminates in a mid-February visit to Inglewood, California. The early camp highlight was the practice held at M and T Bank Stadium where rookies and veterans alike were thrilled to be in front of the home fans once again.
Training camp 2021 is unlike any other, as NFL teams are preparing for the first 17 game regular season in league history. Also, since teams will only be playing 3 pre-season games this year, coaching staffs will have a little bit less game tape to evaluate their rosters and a little less game action to get the starters clicking on all cylinders. Pre-season games have always been a point of contention for everyone from fans, to players, to coaches, etc…..fans don’t want to pay close to full price for what amounts to glorified scrimmages, players that are solidly on the roster don’t want to risk getting hurt in games that don’t count and coaches are stuck somewhere in a vortex of getting the team ready, trying to keep their rosters as healthy as possible and hoping to ascertain which guys can fill out the backend of their 53 man roster.
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Here’s a few things that have been rolling around my head as we draw closer to the first preseason game of 2021:
- There have been some notable absences in the early days of camp; Lamar Jackson being the biggest name but also Gus Edwards, Ronnie Stanley and Nick Boyle have yet to practice. Other key players such as Hollywood Brown, rookie Rashod Bateman and newly acquired guard Kevin Zeitler have missed time here and there. Luckily, there have been no serious injuries to this point and everyone that’s down now should be ready to go for Week 1 in Las Vegas. Camp absences can be frustrating, particularly when one of them is your All World quarterback but those absences also provide opportunities. Coach Harbaugh and his staff can get a good luck at incumbent backups Tyler Huntley and Trace McSorley to see who is best suited to be Lamar Jackson’s understudy; as well as decide if they want to move forward with 2 or 3 QBs on the 53 roster come September. With some of the wide receivers shuffling in and out of the lineup, James Proche has seen an increase in his reps and, from all reports, he is not disappointing. Going into camp, I was of the mindset that Proche may end up as the odd man out in a crowded receiver room. However, Proche’s performance, coupled with Miles Boykin’s uneven camp thus far has me reconsidering. I would imagine that Harbs, EDC and company are going to have a difficult decision on their hands when final cuts are made.
- Whereas some of the early camp absences can be turned into opportunities, some of the absences are lost time that you can never get back. In particular, my concern is the new look offensive line. The only position that is truly solidified at this point is right guard, where free agent acquisition Kevin Zeitler should fit like a glove. The rest of the spots on the offensive line are either new positions for the projected starter, up for grabs via competition or in flux due to injury. Both offensive tackle spots are question marks at the moment; All Pro LT Ronnie Stanley has yet to suit up while still recovering from an ankle injury that he suffered during the 2020 campaign and former Steeler Alejandro Villanueva will be flipping from left tackle over to the right side. I’ve read comments from various offensive linemen over the years that have had to flip sides and they’ve discussed the intricacies of re-learning foot work, hand placement, etc. Hopefully, a solid veteran like Villanueva will make this transition as smoothly as possible. Moving on to left guard, rookie Ben Cleveland is getting most of the attention. His massive frame and ability to run block has been highlighted early in camp. There is competition from other roster holdovers like Tyre Phillips, Patrick Mekari and a few others. Ideally, I believe the organization would love to have the massive rookie line up as the starter on Opening Day but will the rookie be ready for the task? Lastly, the organization opted to stay in house to address the center position, which gave them fits last year, mostly due to poor snaps at bad times from both Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari. Bradley Bozeman, who played left guard at a high level last year, has slid over a spot to center. Having been a center in college, it seems like a good fit. Albeit, Bozeman did have a bad day of snapping but quickly rectified things by switching to a half glove. Of the Oline position roulette we have going on, center is the high on my confidence list, directly behind right guard. Here’s hoping that projected starting five of Stanley, Cleveland, Bozeman, Zeitler and Villanueva can come together quickly and help propel this offense to another stratosphere.
- The last time I discussed some random thoughts, I mused about defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s comments about sacks being “superficial” and “overrated”. And, despite using 2 draft picks on edge/defensive end, I thought we could still use some pass rush help. With the signing of Justin Houston late last week, the Ravens added a pièce de résistance to an already talented defense. The move will allow Wink and company to bring along rookies Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes at a more comfortable pace, while providing that coveted veteran leadership. On the field, Houston should the majority of his snaps in obvious passing situation and allow Pernell McPhee to slide inside and generate pressure without going to exotic blitz packages or Cover 0 looks as often as we’ve seen in recent years. Already a strong secondary, the defensive backfield could benefit greatly from a more consistent, less blitz oriented pass rush. Of course the Ravens aren’t getting a Justin Houston in his prime but to add a player of his caliber, particularly for the price, was a fantastic move by the organization.
Thus far in camp, things are looking pretty solid for the Ravens. They have avoided any major injuries to this point (quickly knocks on wood) and Lamar Jackson’s return is anticipated on August 6th. The remainder of camp should be about some fine tuning and seeing which guys can solidify the backend of what looks to be a very talented roster, filled with homegrown players. It’s full steam ahead to the opening salvo of the pre-season against the Saints on August 14th.
Jamie has been a Baltimore sports fan since he can remember. He grew up in Gwynn Oak and currently resides in Hampstead with his wife and 2 kids. He graduated from UMBC with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He’s currently employed at Verizon Communications in Hunt Valley.