Camp Notes: Defense Continues to Dominate as the Pads Go On

The pads went on today, and with that came a weak offensive showing.

Calais Campbell, John Jenkins, and Nnamdi Madubuike were all in uniform early on, but returned in street clothes later in the session. Travis Jones, Teddye Buchanan, and Corey Bullock remained as the only three absent.

We saw 1-on-1s early in practice today, which is always fun. Zay Flowers beat Marlon Humphrey deep down the right side, and Ja’Kobi Lane did the same on the opposite side of the field against Chidobe Awuzie soon after. Chandler Rivers also had a nice rep against Octavian Smith Jr. to record a breakup.

Lane has continued to work with the starting offense alongside Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Not Elijah Sarratt though – he’s been quiet so far and had a ball clang off his hands during the 1-on-1 period today.

During team sessions, Lamar Jackson was simply off. He badly underthrew an open Devontez Walker during 7-on-7s that allowed Nate Wiggins to catch up and record a PBU. He also sailed a pass to an open Mark Andrews that would have gone for chunk yardage.

In the trenches, Roger Rosengarten had some good battles with both Tavius Robinson and Mike Green. Olaivavenga Ioane also held his own at right guard with the pads on.

“Vega is a pro… I feel like I’ve been playing with the guy for three to four years,” Rosengarten said.

Ioane spoke right after Rosengarten, sharing a similar sentiment. “ I feel like I’ve been playing with him for a long time. He’s a phenomenal young player,” Ioane said.

The biggest offensive standout of the day was Matthew Hibner. The rookie tight end out of SMU caught a flat route off a naked boot and turned upfield for some solid YAC, then caught two touchdowns during the red zone portion. The first came on a well designed screen pass, and the second a crosser over the middle.

Adam Randall also looked sharp once again, showing good burst through the holes in the offensive line and some second level burst that’s impressive for his size.

The defense as a whole had a really solid day, and even in 7-on-7s the offense never gained traction. It seemed like checkdown after checkdown, with no big plays being made at any point.

Zion Young had his loudest practice of camp so far, pushing the pocket on multiple occasions. Trenton Simpson looked good once again, reacting quickly to run fits all day long.

The secondary as a unit was very good. No clear breakdowns in the back end, and everyone seemed to understand their assignments and executed them to perfection.

Communication and urgency has been a clear focal point of camp on both sides of the ball. The Ravens have run drills against air with the full offense breaking the huddle quickly and getting into formation. Defensively, everyone is communicating pre-snap, led by Roquan Smith.

Defensive breakdowns were a recurring theme in the Ravens’ countless late losses over the past few years, and Jesse Minter and his coaching staff seem intent on making sure the same old mistakes don’t reappear this season.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/08/03/camp-notes/pads-on/