OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens wrapped up their second week of OTA workouts open to the media on Thursday, May 30, and roughly 70 players went through a spirited practice in ideal May weather. But the absence of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and several other offensive starters affected the rhythm of the offense during the roughly two-hour workout.
In addition to Jackson, other absences from the May 30 practice included tight end Mark Andrews, running backs Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safeties Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton.
The Ravens are scheduled to practice again May 31 in a workout that is closed to the media, and then they have one more week of optional OTA workouts before the team convenes for mandatory minicamp June 11-13. Here are five takeaways after the first two weeks of the spring practice period:
1. Chemistry doesn’t get better without the quarterback.
Both Jackson and wide receiver Rashod Bateman have publicly touted the importance of building chemistry, but that doesn’t happen when they don’t get on the field together. And this spring, that’s been a Jackson problem, not a Bateman problem.
For a multitude of reasons — Bateman’s groin injury, Jackson’s bout with COVID, Bateman’s Lisfranc foot injury — this duo has not been on the field together nearly as much as anyone in the organization would have hoped throughout the past three years. But this spring, Bateman for the most part has been on the field.
Jackson has not.
Head coach John Harbaugh has tread carefully when asked about Jackson’s absence, because OTA workouts are optional per the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“It’s just this time of year,” Harbaugh said. “It’s voluntary time. It’s really not something that we can comment on.”
The bottom line, though, is that Jackson is the team’s highest-paid player, at more than $32 million this year, and Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Todd Monken and quarterbacks coach Tee Martin surely wish Jackson were there. You can bet owner Steve Bisciotti, who is cutting that $32 million check, does too.
Some will contend these are non-padded practices in May, and they have little bearing on how this team might play against Kansas City or Pittsburgh in four or five months. That’s a fair point, but it’s Jackson who has talked about building chemistry, and Jackson who isn’t there doing it.
2. The Ravens are looking at a lot of line combinations.
Although several offensive starters were not on the field, the Ravens had essentially the entire offensive line at the May 30 workout. Coaches continue to look at multiple combinations as they work to assemble the best five, with Tyler Linderbaum anchoring the group at center. Both guard jobs are open after Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson were signed away as free agents, and right tackle Morgan Moses was traded to the New York Jets.
Ben Cleveland, Andrew Vorhees, Josh Jones and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu all get extensive work at guard, and Daniel Faalele and rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten figure to compete for Moses’ old job. Super-sub Patrick Mekari has shown the ability to plug in anywhere, so throughout the spring and summer he can be spotted taking reps at just about every offensive line position.
One encouraging sign at OTA workouts this spring is the presence of left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who has had several offseasons disrupted by injuries during his career. Harbaugh said he has liked what he’s seen from the former All-Pro.
“He’s been here for every OTA and the workouts, and he looked good,” Harbaugh said. “He’s looked good. I was pleased. … He’s getting tested. These guys like Odafe [Oweh] and these guys are bringing it. … We have our starters work against our starters a lot in these drills, because it’s not full contact, and they get a chance to really kind of challenge each other’s technique.”
This is a big year for Stanley, 30, who agreed to a reworked contract this offseason. He took a cut in base pay but can make that back through incentives, and Stanley is set to become a free agent after the season.
3. Backups get their chance to shine.
With several starters sitting out OTA workouts, backups get their best chance to make a good impression. One who did that in the May 30 workout was defensive back Tre Swilling. During full-team drills, Swilling ripped a pass out of the hands of Zay Flowers, and later broke up a pass down the middle intended for Isaiah Likely. A few minutes later, he disrupted a pass intended for tight end Charlie Kolar.
Swilling spent most of last season on the Ravens’ practice squad after appearing in two early-season games with the San Francisco 49ers. Swilling is listed as a cornerback, and his path to the roster is still a tough one given the Ravens’ depth in the secondary. But there might be an opening for a backup safety, and he could put himself in the conversation with consistent reps like he showed on May 30.
Safety Ar’Darius Washington and cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams came up with interceptions during 11-on-11 drills, with Williams making a nice sliding grab on a short pass in the flat. Washington lined up running back Owen Wright for a hit after he caught a pass in the left flat, and the contact, though inadvertent, got a reaction out of the defense. Both Washington and Williams missed nearly the entire 2023 season with injuries, so quality reps at this time of year are especially beneficial for them.
4. The edge rush picture hasn’t yet come into focus.
The Ravens are still hoping for big things from third-year edge rusher David Ojabo, but as of now, he’s been limited to individual work as he recovers from surgery late last season. Veteran Kyle Van Noy has not taken part in OTAs yet, nor has rookie third-round pick Adisa Isaac, who is dealing with a hamstring injury sustained during rookie minicamp. So it’s hard to get a full sense of the team’s edge rush potential.
Harbaugh noted that Ojabo continues to slowly ramp up with individual drills, and the timeline for him to get fully involved is “somewhere in training camp.” Van Noy, who had nine sacks last season, should be back for the mandatory minicamp at the latest.
For now, Odafe Oweh is getting plenty of work and testing the Ravens’ offensive linemen, and the Ravens are also getting an extended look at young edge rushers such as Tavius Robinson and Malik Hamm. Those players need this spring work more than Van Noy does, but the Ravens can’t really know what that pass rush will look like until Ojabo, Van Noy and Isaac all get on the field.
Given Ojabo’s medical history, the Ravens are probably still in the market for another edge rusher. If they look to sign a free agent off the street this summer, they can only hope it works out as well as last year, when Jadeveon Clowney and Van Noy signed and then produced a combined total of 18.5 sacks.
5. John Harbaugh never stops challenging his players.
It might just be a noncontact spring workout, but John Harbaugh still expects full effort from his players, and when he doesn’t see it, he lets them know. During a two-minute drill late in practice, quarterback Josh Johnson avoided a rush and gained about 25 yards before angling out of bounds.
Within earshot of a couple of hundred season-ticket holders in attendance, Harbaugh let the defense have it. He directed some ire at linebacker Roquan Smith as the leader of the group on the field, and then Harbaugh yelled toward the defensive sideline, making clear that he was not at all pleased with the lack of pursuit that allowed Johnson to get such a big gain.
At other points in the practice, he had a long chat with guard Josh Jones about technique, he talked with Zay Flowers about ball security, grabbing a ball and tucking it tightly under his arm, and he pulled aside defensive backs for some one-on-one discussions.
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