The Ravens had their first practice of training camp Wednesday in front of fans at the Under Armour Performance Center, who were eager to see the team take the field.
There wasn't much 11-on-11 work during a practice that featured plenty of walkthrough work and individual drills. The Ravens plan to ramp up gradually, hoping to decrease the number of injuries.
Here are some Day 1 observations:
- Devin Duvernay had the catch of the day, adjusting his body to snag a pinpoint back-shoulder throw from Lamar Jackson before falling to the ground. Tight coverage by Kevon Seymour didn't prevent Jackson and Duvernay from making the connection. It's the kind of catch Duvernay hopes to make consistently during camp as he battles to be the starting wide receiver opposite Rashod Bateman.
- Marlon Humphrey and Bateman were matched up twice during the late stages of practice, and Humphrey prevented both passes from being completed. However, Bateman had a solid day overall, running smooth routes and catching the ball cleanly. The young receiver's development should be accelerated working against a top corner like Humphrey.
- Jackson completed just 3 of 6 passes during the final 7-on-7 session, but he threw the ball crisply and accurately most of the day. He reported to camp looking just as impressive physically as he did during mandatory minicamp, noticeably stronger in the upper body.
- Odafe Oweh participated in team drills and displayed his speed off the edge, after being kept out of team drills during mandatory minicamp. If this had been a full contact practice, Oweh would have put himself in position for several sacks.
- Nick Boyle was targeted several times over the middle and made a nice leaping catch. Boyle struggled with his mobility last season after he returned from knee surgery, but he looked agile and ready to be a reliable pass-catching target, and his blocking has always been a strength.
- Ronnie Stanley, J.K. Dobbins and Marcus Peters are all on PUP, but they were watching from the sidelines during various points of practice. Dobbins looked particularly antsy to be part of the action, having animated conversations on the sideline.
- Rookie running back Tyler Badie showed soft hands making a catch out of the backfield. Badie caught 126 passes during his college career at Missouri and showed that same skillset during minicamp.
- Tylan Wallace made a nice catch on a crossing pattern, reaching out with both hands to snag the pass in stride. Every training camp day will be important for the young wide receivers, and Wallace got off to a good start.
