CAMP NOTES: Ravens v. Colts Joint Practice

A massive brawl that led to Nate Wiggins’ ejection overshadowed an engaging joint practice with the Colts that revealed much about the Ravens in all three phases of the game.

But first, that brawl.

The Ravens and Colts fight video is finally surfacing around. #NFLPreseason

Nate Wiggins throwing hands and getting caught

pic.twitter.com/G57meY0rRT

— HotTakes (@hottakes_app) August 6, 2025

Young players on both teams had been jawing and shoving throughout special teams drills, but those minor spats dissipated in seconds. The same appeared to be happening after a punt return rep with Malaki Starks and Keyon Martin blocking Colts running back (and in this case, gunner) Tyler Goodson. Starks – who got in Michael Pittman’s face during red zone work – was starting to walk away as Martin and Goodson exchanged shoves.

It probably wouldn’t have been more than that, but Wiggins came flying in from the sidelines and decked Goodson. They began exchanging punches and more players rushed in; amid the rush of helmets, it was hard to determine if they were joining in the melee or breaking it up. Wiggins got taken down with Goodson and ended up at the bottom of the pile before he got pulled out by a teammate and calmed down by pass rush coach Chuck Smith. He was then ejected (as was Goodson) and watched the rest of practice in the training room next to Isaiah Likely, who couldn’t contain his laughter when Wiggins first walked up.

The second-year cornerback wasn’t amused then, and he refused to engage later when Marlon Humphrey asked about the incident in the locker room.

A smirking Kyle Hamilton was more than happy to chime in: “He was protecting his teammates, with some haymakers. He’s a good guy though.” Nnamdi Madubuike cracked a smile when asked about the fight after practice, saying he “heard Nate was slugging somebody” and joked that he missed out on the scrap.

The veteran defenders seemed to take the incident lightly, but they also know it’s the kind of mistake Wiggins is unlikely to repeat. Coming off the sidelines in a game would be a certain ejection and may even lead to a suspension. But in camp, he got away from the fight with the lowest possible consequence – sitting out the remainder of a joint practice – and probably got a talking-to after practice with the expectation that it will never happen again. But that’s not the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is Wiggins and/or other players getting hurt as a result of the scuffle.

If that seems like too much tut-tutting, consider this: Wiggins was thrown to the ground with a bundle of other players falling over him, limbs flying everywhere. The Ravens know all too well how injuries can suddenly decimate a position group before the seasons. Wiggins wanting to protect his teammates is fine, but they would probably prefer him to be healthy.

Bend, But Don’t Break

Before Wiggins left the field, he and the rest of the Ravens defense were struggling to contain the Colts offensive weapons. Wideouts Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell made catches all over the field, and running back Jonathan Taylor gashed Baltimore’s front on a few of his early carries.

Nnamdi Madubuike said that facing a different running back, especially one as talented as Taylor, was a good challenge for the defensive line.

“He hits the gaps late, so you have to really be more patient,” said Madubuike. “He tests your patience and gap integrity…He definitely helped us get better.”

The Ravens toughened up in the red zone with a string of plays from the front seven:

● Travis Jones swallowed up Tyler Goodson in the middle of the trenches
● Odafe Oweh flew off the edge for a tackle for loss
● David Ojabo and Broderick Washington contained an Anthony Richardson draw
● John Jenkins led a crowd of defenders to stop a tight end screen short of the goal line.
● A pressure from Trenton Simpson forced an incompletion
● Not in the red zone, but Aeneas Peebles torched Matt Goncalves in a 1-on-1 pass rush rep

The secondary let Alex Pierce run free in the end zone on one rep, though it took Richardson way too long to find the open man. Later on, they forced Daniel Jones to take what would’ve been a coverage sack.

Baltimore’s defense finished strong in a two-minute drill with multiple pressures from Mike Green. The rookie then combined with William Kwenkeu to sack Richardson and end practice.

I’m so glad the Baltimore Ravens don’t have a Mike Green sized problem to deal with, he’s already keeping offensive coordinators up at night for sure! pic.twitter.com/AIbcZwhIXc

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) August 7, 2025

Offense Starts Fast, Fizzles Out

Todd Monken said in a recent press conference that he wanted the Ravens offense to start faster. They achieved that on Tuesday before fizzling out in an inverse performance to the defense’s.

The offense took advantage of early 1-on-1 reps that tend to favor receivers with a number of big gains:

● Zay Flowers shook Tre Herndon with a head fake on a dig route
● LaJohntay Wester ran through contact from Samuel Womack on a dig of his own
● Anthony Miller flashed some veteran savvy against rookie Justin Walley with some late separation and a one-handed catch on a nice back shoulder ball from Cooper Rush
● Dayton Wade hit a slick stutter-and-go and zipped by Alex Johnson for a deep touchdown.

Cooper Rush also missed open targets to Tylan Wallace (vertical separation on a go route) Wester (lost his man on a post corner), and Malik Cunningham (got open on a crosser).

The plays continued in 11-on-11 work:

● Charlie Kolar recovered from a blown block to beat Cameron McGrone on a crosser
● Lamar Jackson scrambled to his right and threw across his body to Rashod Bateman, who was working back to the middle of the field
● Anthony Miller used a return motion to separate from Tre Herndon
● A Daniel Faalele block sprung Derrick Henry for a chunk gain that he finished into the chest of Cam Bynum
● Devontez Walker caught a couple of crossers from Devin Leary

Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali both ran well throughout the afternoon. Mitchell fought through contact on a couple of plays and used his blazing speed to get around the edge on a toss towards the end of practice. Ali made a number of decisive cuts and looked like a much more confident runner than he did last year.

Jackson and Rush ended the offense’s day on a pair of low notes with what Jackson called “BS interceptions” in a two-minute drill.

Loop Puts Up Best Special Teams Performance

Rookie kicker Tyler Loop had another perfect day by making all six of his field goal attempts, which started at 28 yards and stretched out to 55. Four of Loop’s five kickoffs found the landing zone with one touchback, a solid start for his adjustment to the NFL’s rules. Overall, the arc of his kicks looked much better than those of the Colts’ kickers.

The Ravens’ coverage units were less successful and allowed a number of long returns, though John Harbaugh saw them as coachable moments for young players.

“Those reps for those guys in games are really kind of rare because you only get the three preseason games for the young guys,” said Harbaugh. “Most of these guys have never played special teams before.”

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