The Ravens’ mandatory two-day minicamp for all players took place this week. Head coach Jesse Minter described the tone of the camp as “a continuation of what we’ve been trying to accomplish. Where we’re trying to go, the standards that we’re trying to create and uphold every day that’ll allow us to reach the ultimate goals that we have.”
The Ravens had excellent attendance for both days of practice, with a few players such as Ronnie Stanley and Rashod Bateman watching from the sidelines. Minter said every player on the roster should be “ready to go” for the start of training camp in July.
Here are five takeaways from mandatory minicamp.
1. Zion Young made plays.
Young was in the backfield and set the edge consistently from OTAs through minicamp. During an 11-on-11 scrimmage on Tuesday, he blew through the offensive line multiple times in a row and got into a brief skirmish with a few linemen afterward.
“He’s eager to do things right. He doesn’t like making the same mistake twice. When he strikes the sled, it looks different. He’s extremely physical,” Minter said to media afterward. “I like how hard he plays. I like the swagger, the edge that he brings when he’s on the field.”
The Ravens think they know what they have in Trey Hendrickson, an All-Pro-caliber edge. If they can pair him with another dangerous rusher on the other side in Young, it will go a long way to creating turnovers, getting stops on third down and closing out games, all things the Ravens’ defense struggled with last season.
2. Elijah Sarratt continued to impress.
The rookie receiver made the play of the day during Tuesday’s minicamp, catching a Lamar Jackson lofted deep ball along the sideline with a defender in his lap. Sarratt’s celebration after wasn’t boastful, but rather one of a player visibly gaining confidence that he belongs. He was also working on fielding punts.
At Indiana, Sarratt’s hallmarks were route-running and making catches out of the slot. If he can add big-play ability to the Ravens, he won’t just gain confidence, he’ll gain starter reps.
3. Mark Andrews had a strong offseason.
Andrews has had an up-and-down year and a half. He was the scapegoat in the 2024 AFC divisional round loss to the Bills when he couldn’t secure the game-tying two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. A year later, he became the Ravens’ franchise leader in career receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, likely cementing his future in the Ravens Ring of Honor.
However, his numbers have declined in recent years. Many outside the organization would have preferred the Ravens to keep fellow tight end Isaiah Likely and let Andrews leave in free agency, rather than the other way around.
But Andrews is here and has been putting in a workmanlike offseason. He participated in every workout and caught every ball even remotely in his direction during minicamp. He will be the main tight end target until rookies Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas develop, and a strong season would help Andrews revive his fan-favorite status.
4. Danny Pinter may be in the lead for the starting center role.
Even though Minter said during OTAs and minicamp that he wanted to rotate different starting centers through the summer, Pinter has been taking most of the No. 1 snaps during drills and scrimmages the last few practices open to the media. Who will start at center remains the most significant positional question after Tyler Linderbaum signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Pinter has been in the NFL since 2020 but has just 10 total starts, three coming at center.
5. Ryan Eckley holds the edge over Luke Elzinga to be the next Ravens punter.
One of the quieter but not unimportant position battles this summer will be between Eckley and Elzinga to replace the departed Jordan Stout as the team’s punter. Elzinga, an undrafted free agent, started with a disadvantage due to the fact the Ravens invested a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft on Eckley. On the field, Eckley’s hangtime on punts has consistently beaten Elzinga’s, at least by this author’s stopwatch. Eckley has also held for kicker Tyler Loop during 11-on-11s.
This is a year of transition for the Ravens’ special teams unit with a new first-time coordinator in Anthony Levine and the departure of John Harbaugh, whose expertise in that part of the game helped the Ravens excel there in multiple seasons. The Ravens hope one of these two players will meet the level Stout showed last season, when he was a first-team All-Pro.
Odds and ends:
• Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has brought energy, creativity and attention to detail to every practice. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Jackson joked that Doyle got on him for not correctly executing a play but explained that he appreciated a coordinator who wants to perfect every detail. Doyle has held rookies and veterans equally accountable so far.
• Devontez Walker had a frustrating minicamp. On Wednesday, the Ravens were without Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Sarratt, which could have been an opportunity for Walker to shine. However, he wasn’t targeted often during 11-on-11s and didn’t deliver any noticeable moments. With Flowers and Bateman above him on the depth chart and Ja’Kobi Lane, Sarratt and LaJohntay Wester breathing down his neck, Walker needs a strong summer to show he deserves more than the meager 11 targets he got in his first two seasons combined.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox