BALTIMORE — With two minutes to go, Lamar Jackson took over at his own 30-yard line, trailing 20-17.
The drive got off to a great start: a perfectly placed pass deep down the left sideline to Keith Kirkwood. The Baltimore Ravens‘ two-time MVP quarterback couldn’t have walked up and placed it in his receivers’ hands any better.
But then came an incomplete pass, first-round rookie DB Malaki Starks smothering wide receiver Dayton Wade, and a short completion to Mark Andrews. Then came a sack — an untouched Marlon Humphrey screaming off the edge on a corner blitz. Given the time left, the area of the field and the score, a sack is the last thing you want.
Or maybe this is exactly what the Ravens wanted, in a way. This is just training camp, after all, and the team is evaluating its new kicker while replacing a longtime franchise cornerstone. Tyler Loop had a 56-yard field goal to tie it.
He left no doubt, splitting the uprights with plenty of room to spare, impressing the 26,052 Ravens fans who flocked to M&T Bank Stadium for the team’s first practice at its home field. It capped a terrific day for the sixth-round rookie, who went six-for-six during a field goal drill earlier that included a make from 60 yards.
“Passed that test with flying colors — that’s an A+++,” John Harbaugh said after practice. “Onto the next one. So happy for him, just for him to get through that and now go, ‘You know you can do it, and you know how to do it, just like that.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. Not surprised, but certainly very happy.”
Loop was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist last season and may well end up as the kicker with the most pressure on his shoulders this season. The Ravens drafted Loop days before releasing Justin Tucker, whom 16 massage therapists accused of sexual misconduct earlier in the offseason. Tucker denied the accusations. In his statement, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta called releasing Tucker a “football” decision.
Loop’s strong day would have been a positive sign regardless of circumstances, but that it came at an NFL stadium — rather than the team’s training facility — and one day after the team released undrafted rookie kicker John Hoyland are also factors that will have Ravens fans sleeping a bit easier at night.
“You wouldn’t think [kicking at the stadium] would be any different, except the sight lines are totally different,” Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator, said. “I think the wind and stuff like that is different, too. You have to come down here to kick with that, but I still think that the scoreboard on, fans in the stands, the targets that they make, that’s the real thing, so it’s really valuable.”
Yes, it was only an early-August training camp, with ideal weather and no real consequences if he missed. Yes, he still has to test preseason tests. But if Loop comes through clutch this season, perhaps his first practice at M&T Bank Stadium will prove worth remembering.
Here’s more from the Ravens’ practice two days before they host the Indianapolis Colts for a joint session.
Lamar Jackson shows wheels, accuracy
So much of Jackson’s stardom comes from the splash plays: the jaw-dropping moves, the rocket-armed deep passes and the ability to make something out of nothing. But sometimes, his value is best displayed on the small plays. In one team drill, for example, Jackson escaped pressure from both sides of him, got upfield, waited for his receiver to start blocking and scooted out of bounds right after getting a first down. It showed the athleticism, yes, but also Jackson’s smarts as a runner.
Earlier in the day, Jackson scored a touchdown on a run as well, though with the typical don’t-touch-the quarterback rules practice rules, it was hard to tell if he actually would have found the end zone.
Later in practice, in a seven-on-seven red zone drills, Jackson floated a pass perfectly to Mark Andrews for a touchdown. A little bit later, in 11-on-11, he floated a perfect pass to Derrick Henry on a wheel route. Henry finished things off with a short touchdown run.
One-on-one wide receiver vs. cornerback drills are supposed to favor the offensive player given all the space to operate and no pressure on the quarterback.
But on a pair of drills, Jaire Alexander flipped that script on its head. On one rep, Alexander seemingly ran Wade’s route for him, so much so that a pass never even came out. A few reps later, Alexander stuck with Anthony Miller deep downfield and knocked the ball away. The two-time All-Pro got up and played a little bit to the Baltimore crowd, doing the “seatbelt” celebration.
“You can see the obvious skill set,” Harbaugh said. “He can move, he’s got a knack for playing the ball. You say a lot of times, ‘You cover with your feet, and you play the ball with your hands. You don’t cover with your hands.’ He understands that.
“He’s just got a real feel for that part of the game. He’s super talented, super confident, works super hard. A+.”
Alexander was beaten on the aforementioned deep pass to Kirkwood that set up Loop’s field goal, but overall, he had a strong practice. In another drill, he stuck right with DeAndre Hopkins and, though Hopkins came down with the ball, he was well out of bounds.
“D-Hop, he’s a GOAT, man, he’s a legend in this league,” Alexander said. “So I always wanna go up against D-Hop. It’s been good on good, man, it’s been great.”
Alexander’s energy has been undeniable. Sunday, he had several impressive moments to match.
Odds and ends
- The Ravens return 10 of their 11 starters from last year’s offense. The one change? Left guard. Sunday, Andrew Vorhees worked with the starters; last week, Ben Cleveland received time there. While it can be tough to come to conclusions — especially Sunday, when media were in the press box — Vorhees, Andrews and Ronnie Stanley did a nice job springing Justice Hill for a big gain on a pitch play. Vorhees also paved the way on Henry’s touchdown stroll.
- The middle of the Ravens’ defensive line continues to impress; Henry, for the most part, had trouble finding much space. It should be noted, of course, that Henry does a ton of damage after contact, something that can’t be replicated in practice, but Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones lead a stout group.
- Kyle Hamilton had one of the plays of the day for the defense, twisting and turning and contorting his body to break up a Jackson pass that seemed destined for Charlie Kolar. Hamilton’s immense athleticism was on clear display.
- With starters Hopkins, Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman as well as top backups Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker already installed, it’s going to be a tough battle for other wide receivers to crack the Ravens’ wide receiver room. Baltimore spent a sixth-round pick on the speedy LaJohntay Wester, who has had some strong moments. But in the two practices I’ve seen, undrafted rookie free agent Xavier Guillory has flashed. Sunday, he beat Nate Wiggins deep for a touchdown in a one-on-one rep. He also made another impressive catch, fighting through contact that drew a pass interference call and finished the catch regardless, and a third big catch in the second team’s two-minute drill. Malik Cunningham has also had some good reps.
- Other standouts included Keaton Mitchell, who took a short Cooper Rush screen pass for a touchdown and spun out of a tackle in a later 11-on-11 situation, as well as Starks, who strung out a Henry run in an 11-on-11 setting.
