Lamar Jackson Returns (Again)

Saturday’s Ravens practice in Owings Mills was one of the more fun sessions so far. You had the return of the king, Lamar Jackson. You had big plays down the field and some exciting two minute drill sessions. On this mild July day, the practice was a treat for the fans who showed up to camp. One of the highlights of the day happened shortly after the children in attendance lined up for their autographs and the offense got some last reps working the two-minute drill. Jackson had nowhere to go and in a desperate scramble heave he found Owen Wright in the front corner of the end zone. Beautiful football.

There were some minor bumps in the road. For example, Ben Cleveland ran what may have been the slowest lap ever after committing a false start. Jackson had a lot of overthrows early, and gave up a bad pick to Marlon Humphrey. He connected with Mark Andrews in the red zone but led him too far and it was caught out of bounds. Andrews also had a drop on a routine throw to the middle of the field. The worst moment of practice was when Trayvon Mullen, a rookie out of Clemson, was carted off the field – which was the last thing you want to see at camp.

There were some great plays today as well. Nelson Agholor had a snazzy touchdown against Nate Wiggins. The zip on the Jackson pass was notable. Wiggins had a highlight himself when he caught Justice Hill on an outside run that looked like a potential house call. He also had an interception on an opportune pass for him. Qadir Ismail made a fantastic adjustment to the football on a deep pass that was a little behind him. The son of Ravens’ legend Qadry Ismail has moved from the wide receiver position to tight end.

Another fun moment was Josh Johnson hitting Charlie Kolar for a big gain down the seam, a ball on which the TE made an athletic catch. Scotty Washington high-pointed an incredible deep pass over Brandon Stephens. He may or may not have landed in bounds, but if he did it’s up there with the plays of the day.

This was a practice that truly had a little bit of everything. Part of that everything was the players near the back of the depth chart playing their hearts out. One player that stood out in that regard was Christian Matthew. He kept making an impression throughout practice. He had a play where he forced his receiver to the sideline and the offense ran out of real estate. He had a pick late in practice, and he stood his ground against several receivers. He did get burned for what could have been a deep touchdown but the ball bobbled incomplete. He had a good practice and was lucky on top of it. Keep an eye on him when we get into the preseason.

Top Standouts

• Sean Ryan: Ryan had a handful of catches and some of them were tough ones in the middle of a lot of traffic. He may not be the most athletic receiver, but he’s making plays. He’s got dependable hands and a big body.
• Rashod Bateman: Bateman may not have had a signature highlight but he consistently seemed to get open. He’s a fantastic route runner putting on a clinic. Jackson tossed several passes over his head that would have been highlights of the day. We’ll have to see if he gets a better connection with Jackson later in camp.

Players who Stayed on the Radar

• Tavius Robinson: Robinson has the physical traits and the high motor to make something out of them. He’s quietly having great practices and making the offensive linemen work.
• Rasheen Ali: He had three receptions according to my tally. He fits the mold perfectly for a receiver out of the backfield. There’s just something about him.

The post Lamar Jackson Returns (Again) appeared first on Russell Street Report.