CAMP NOTES: Loop & Mitchell Turn Heads at M&T Bank Stadium

Ravens fans got a glimpse at least two of the things they came for at Sunday’s practice at M&T Bank Stadium: rookie kicker Tyler Loop’s powerful leg and Keaton Mitchell’s explosive speed.

The kicking competition between Loop and UDFA John Hoyland has been one of the team’s main storylines this offseason. It took another turn on Saturday, when Hoyland was waived as part of the team’s roster moves and John Harbaugh confirmed that the job was Loop’s to lose.

CAMP NOTES: Harbaugh Reveals Much in Saturday’s Presser

That seemed to give the sixth-round pick some confidence heading into his M&T Bank debut. Loop was a perfect 12-for-12 on the day, and though most of his kicks came inside the 40, he also delighted the crowd with conversions from 56 and 60 yards. According to punter/holder Jordan Stout, the 60-yarder would’ve split the uprights from even further.

The Ravens are using Trackman – the golf simulator – to track Tyler Loop’s kicking distance.

Jordan Stout said Loop’s 60-yarder today would have been good from 67.

“You guys saw him today, right? Pretty good, huh?”#RavensFlock @FOXBaltimore pic.twitter.com/7krrrIpCgN

— AJ Gersh (@AJGershTV) August 3, 2025

Earlier in the week, the Ravens’ coaching staff talked about the stadium practice as an opportunity for Loop to kick with different wind patterns and sightlines. After Sunday’s practice, John Harbaugh said that the rookie rose to the challenge.

“He passed that test with flying colors,” said Harbaugh. “A-plus-plus-plus.”

A much bigger tests awaits Loop on Thursday night. The Ravens could still bring back Hoyland this week, but they may opt to give Loop a chance to lock down the kicking job with a full game against the Colts.

Another main attraction of the Ravens’ stadium practice was the burst and shiftiness of third-year running back Keaton Mitchell. He was clearly not at 100% in 2024 coming off his ACL tear, but he has looked all the way back in training camp.

Mitchell’s headlining trait is his acceleration and long speed – both of which showed up in spring practices – but his lateral agility and contact balance let him get into open space in the first place.

His athleticism was on full display at M&T Bank, starting with a screen from Cooper Rush that Mitchell took 20 yards into the end zone untouched. Later on, he cut back on a toss and shook off multiple defenders for a big gain. Granted, the defense isn’t allowed to tackle at full throttle, but they’re still supposed to wrap ballcarriers up. No one seemed to be able to corral Mitchell on Sunday.

Mind you, this is just practice @_KeatonMitchell pic.twitter.com/O4F3a1vRRH

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 3, 2025

Mitchell is making a clear case to get touches in the Ravens offense this season, but it’s not clear where those touches will come from. Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry, and Justice Hill is a trusted playmaker and blocker in the backfield. Hill flashed his speed at the stadium on a number of touches and will continue to be the team’s third-down and hurry-up back this year.

Fourth-year outside linebacker Tavius Robinson quietly had a strong afternoon, using his length and power to great effect on multiple occasions. The first was a bull rush that pushed Roger Rosengarten into the pocket, which was impressive enough on its own. Then, with Roquan Smith coming up the middle on a blitz, Robinson had the wherewithal to disengage and break to his left to contain Jackson and force a dump-off for minimal gain. In a run defense snap later on, Robinson read the play and beat the blocker to the point of attack, forcing Henry to keep moving laterally until he ran out of bounds. (Malaki Starks also flew in to help set the edge.)

Neither of those plays is going to show up in the box score, but that’s kind of the story with Robinson. He was vital to the Ravens’ defense last season, trailing only Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh among edge defenders with a 43% snap share. Robinson only logged 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 4 tackles for loss, but his contributions were evident on film.

This offseason, he’s slowly becoming the worst-kept secret in Baltimore with coaches and teammates constantly raving about his work ethic and development on and off the field. John Harbaugh, Zach Orr, and Chuck Smith have all singled out Robinson for praise at various times, sometimes when they’re not even asked about him. And when rookie Mike Green was asked about a veteran he studies, he didn’t name either of the double-digit sack-getters in the EDGE room. He named Robinson.

“That means the world to me,” said Robinson after practice, before humbly adding that he’s “just trying to get better every day.” He wants to be “even better in the run game” and is “working on a bunch of different things” as a pass rusher, especially building counters off his power moves.

One player who doesn’t get much attention is second-year quarterback Devin Leary. As a third-stringer behind one of the game’s best and a proven backup, he doesn’t get a ton of reps. But he’s still playing the most important position for a Super Bowl contender, and developing him into a cheap backup for at least a year or two would be a boon to the cap-strapped Ravens, for whom every dollar counts.

Leary’s first training camp was marked by near-daily interceptions, and he has since focused on his decision-making process under the tutelage of Tee Martin. Leary talked about that development in the locker room after Sunday’s practice:

“Playing quarterback at this level, being efficient is key. Everyone is talented, everyone has a big arm, and I think Coach Tee [Martin] continues to coach me and push me to live for another play. Even though it’s tempting and urging that you can make every throw, sometimes the best throw is the checkdown and move onto the next play. It’s like a battle that I have within myself because I’m confident I can make all these throws, but at times at this level, they can get you in trouble. So definitely Year 2, doing a lot better job with just checking the ball down and looking for another play.”

Leary’s attitude was reflected in his performance on the field. He wasn’t afraid to push the ball downfield when he saw an open man – and kept the ball out of danger when doing so – but also took easy underneath throws when they presented themselves to him. He also made a good call to tuck and run on one rep with no open targets in sight.

Leary knows he isn’t necessarily pushing for playing time in Baltimore’s quarterback room, but he has embraced the opportunity to learn from Jackson and Rush to build his career.

“I’m really blessed to be able to learn from the best quarterback in the NFL and then Cooper who has a ton of reps under his belt, 10-3 as a starter,” said Leary. “For me, it’s about ‘how good can I be every single day?’ If I’m not learning from them, I’m doing myself a disservice. How much can I learn from them, and apply it to the field and let the chips fall where they do.”

As a third-team quarterback, Leary takes reps with a variety of the team’s pass-catchers. He didn’t want to single out a favorite, but admitted that he has developed a rapport with undrafted rookie wideout Jahmal Banks, who has impressed at the catch point a number of times in camp.

“He’s a big-body guy.” said Leary of Banks. “He does a great job of pinpointing the ball, and as a quarterback, that’s all you could ask for is if you give a guy a chance, he’ll go up and make a play. I have confidence in him. He’s shown me on the film that he can make those plays. So, 1-on-1, I like a lot of our guys, but a lot of times I like the big-body matchup on the outside.”

Banks didn’t flash at the stadium practice, but UDFA WR Xavier Guillory, who Leary also mentioned, made a number of catches all over the field.

There’s no doubt that Leary has a long and improbable path to starting in the pros or even securing a top backup job, but he seems to be taking the right approach to his development. It’s probably not ideal if he becomes an important figure for the Ravens in the immediate future, but fostering quarterback talent is never a bad thing.

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