OTL: Camp Starts to Look More Like Real Football

Monday’s practice got us all one step closer to the return of football as we know it. Sure, it was the same Training Camp that’s been going on for a while now, but Monday felt a little more like the real thing because we got to see some contact.

Who stood out in the Ravens’ first padded practice:https://t.co/9nVbmrnH0N

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 28, 2025

I honestly didn’t anticipate seeing such a pronounced shift in the practice atmosphere between last week and Monday, but maybe I should have. After all, we’ve been hearing all about how excited these guys are to get back to the more physical aspects of the game, but it showed immediately.

The pads are on.

Ravens first padded practice: pic.twitter.com/dPIB3IKqg5

— Giana Han (@giana_jade) July 28, 2025

One of the major differences that you can clock right away is that the young guys who had been limited to going through the motions in individual workouts and non-contact practice drills can finally pin their ears back and show off the physicality, and it represents an extra challenge for the offense. On Monday, Keaton Mitchell paid the price on a couple of big hits, but one of them that occurred along the boundary line gave safety Beau Brade the opportunity to show that he can lay the lumber, probably the aspect of his game the Ravens liked the best when signing him as a UDFA last year.

Of course, it can get ugly, too. For one thing, this is the part of the season where injuries can mount, and teams around the league are feeling the pain.

Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton’s ACL is intact after a MRI, per @toddarcher. He has a bone fracture that will not require surgery and he now is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. pic.twitter.com/ArjVQEgVMj

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2025

Knocking on wood and crossing all of my fingers, none of the injuries that Baltimore has incurred so far have been major, but the contact did result in another common part of padded practices: tempers flaring.

Pads go on and first scuffle of camp features Odafe Oweh and rookie Carson Vinson. Vinson’s helmet was knocked off in the scuffle.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) July 28, 2025

You’re going to see more of this as the offseason progresses with the guys now getting the green light to hit each other. What’s more for the Ravens is that they have multiple joint practices scheduled for this offseason, so there’s even less incentive to lay off of the rough stuff since the opponents on the other side of things aren’t your own guys.

Mark my words, Flock, it’s going to get more exciting, and some of that is because it’s going to get more heated and more physical as we get closer to the real thing.

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