OTL: Another Year, Another Star Camp WR – Could Tez be the Real One?

The Baltimore Ravens are getting close to preseason football. August 7th is right around the corner. Training camp is under way, and that means every day brings new reactions. For the players it is all about stacking good practices together, while for us it’s about the snapshot each day brings.

So what are people saying? Glenn Erby had three big takeaways from day four of camp. Let’s start with number one, an impressive showing by a young wide receiver:

Walker has been a playmaker during the first four days, catching passes from all three quarterbacks on the roster. His most crucial grab was a deep downfield grab from Lamar Jackson, beating star cornerback Nate Wiggins on a beautiful deep ball.

Every year there is a camp favorite receiver from the unproven ranks. It might as well be the second year player out of North Carolina. Tez Walker has always seemed like a buzzsaw to me. He has the speed and the explosiveness, but he needs to work on the refined skills of the wide receiver position in the NFL. Beating Nate Wiggins, even on one rep, is a strong showcase of his talent. Walker has stiff competition in camp, but is the most talented young receiver the Ravens have that isn’t an established playmaker. Because there is a receiver darling in every camp though, I’ve learned to be skeptical. This is the most I have believed this flavor of hype in a while.

Erby’s second note was on the safety depth the Ravens are boasting at camp:

Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks are the headliners, but it’ll be Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade fighting to replace Ar’Darius Washington‘s presence in the lineup for the first 10-12 weeks. Kane tipped a pass intended for Malik Cunningham, leading to a Jalyn Armour-Davis interception.

If you remember, this was one of the things I worried about last week. The safety depth is one of the most important things to figure out in training camp, especially in the AFC where most of the elite quarterbacks seem to play. You can never have enough defensive backs, and it’s good to see that Kane is making an impression.

Let’s take a look at one more note from Erby. This one is on the kicking game:

Rookie kickers Tyler Loop and John Hoyland have shared kicking duties since the end of the draft and the start of rookie minicamp. Today, Loop went 7-for-7 while Hoyland went 3-for-4 on field goals for the afternoon. Loop’s longest make was 42 yards as the two continue to compete for the starting spot.

Is it me or is it still weird to see the Ravens without Justin Tucker? We went from not having to see anything from the kicker because we believed in a nearly automatic leg to a place where seeing is believing. I’m not going to feel confident about the kicker until I’ve seen enough to believe.

Sing it with me, “Everybody’s Workin’ On The Weekend.” Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers looks like it’s in midseason form in this little highlight shared by the Ravens.

Workin on the weekend like usual pic.twitter.com/dHF40gX9zh

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 26, 2025

Historic: The two best 5-year runs ever without a Super Bowl appearance:

• 2020–2024 Ravens
• 2020–2024 Bills

MVP-level QBs. Loaded rosters. Dominant regular seasons. Still no Super Bowl trip.

( Ig/nflpreme) pic.twitter.com/DScD2dOjZJ

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 25, 2025

The Ravens’ season opener will be up in Buffalo, the place where their last season ended. Dov Kleiman points out on X that the Ravens and Bills have the best five year records without a Super Bowl, both with MVP quarterbacks. Which team will break through and win the Super Bowl first? The one thing I would tell Bills fans is that the Ravens don’t always go to the Super Bowl, but when they do, they are 2-0. The Bills had four cracks at in the 90’s and are still trophyless. All gamesmanship aside, it is likely that the Ravens will have to beat the Bills in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl. For the second straight season, the opener is a battle with so much emotion packed into it. The Ravens have a chance to grab some revenge and to send themselves a message that they are worthy of championship aspirations. We’ve got a while to go, but September brings plenty of drama.

Josh Allen may have won the MVP last season but Jackson’s numbers were worthy of the award. Just look at the red zone numbers PFF shared from the last two years. 50 touchdowns to five interceptions is a ridiculously good ratio in the red zone.

Lamar Jackson in the red zone the past two years:

93.3 passing grade (1st)
50 passing TDs (1st)
5 interceptions pic.twitter.com/yxnOIqWxSD

— PFF (@PFF) July 27, 2025

In the regular season game last year Derrick Henry stole the show. In the playoff game Mark Andrews had a fumble and a costly drop, and the Ravens run defense oddly buckled. For all the hype about Allen vs. Jackson we haven’t gotten a true showdown that’s been about them. The average football fan would benefit from seeing the two quarterbacks have huge performances in a shootout, while Ravens and Bills fans would certainly be feeling big emotions. The NFL needs a back and forth game between the two MVP quarterbacks and it’s not too early to start thinking about it.

In his article for the Ravens official site, Clifton Brown praises the Ravens cornerbacks, including Marlon Humphrey:

Any talk about impressive corners wouldn’t be complete without Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey. Both have looked very good, and Humphrey is leading the “Breakfast Club’s” 6 a.m. workouts. “Marlon is in a great place,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “I mean, he’s setting a really high standard.

I feel like everyone is waiting for Marlon Humphrey to lose relevance with this team. It’s not happening. Last season I truly thought he was the heartbeat of the defense. Every time the Ravens needed a big play it seemed to be Humphrey who got it for them. There’s something about Humphrey’s work ethic and underrated skill late in his career that continues to set the example. It’s good to read that Humphrey is grinding in camp. Extra points to the “Breakfast Club” if they play “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds as they get their early workout.

Clifton Brown also made note of Jaire Alexander:

Alexander said during his press conference that he’s willing to play any role. The Ravens have enough secondary talent that Alexander doesn’t have to start or play every defensive snap. That could help Alexander stay healthy after playing just seven games each of the last two seasons.

It certainly seems like Alexander is in the right situation. His injury history is a little concerning, but he’s in a spot where he can be can a mindfully versatile role. The Ravens plan might be to get a lot out of a little with Alexander, who has the talent to cover anybody in the defensive backfield. Alexander is basically on a pitch count, and the defensive backs work as a committee. It’s encouraging that this idea is so openly known and expressed this early into camp.

The post OTL: Another Year, Another Star Camp WR – Could Tez be the Real One? appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/07/28/out-to-lunch/tez-walker-camp/