As Ravens cornerback Will Davis mingled with kids during Lawrence Guy's Community Day in Baltimore last week, he looked over at the bounce house obstacle course off to the side of the field.
He pointed it out to teammate Anthony Levine and challenged him to a race.
Davis and Levine made their way over to the course, took off their shoes and tore through the bounce house a few minutes later. The defensive backs ran through the obstacles at full speed and then Davis dove down the final slide headfirst to claim his victory.
He sure didn't look like someone with any hesitation from tearing his ACL in October.
"Hey, I feel good," Davis said with a laugh.
The fourth-year cornerback said he expects to be ready to go when training camp opens next week, and he understands what's at stake for him this summer.
"It's definitely my most anticipated training camp of my career," Davis said. "This one I'm super excited. I can't even explain it."
Davis, 26, is entering his second season with the Ravens after Baltimore traded for him in Week 3 last year. He played just two games with the Ravens before having his season abruptly ended by a torn ACL for the second year in a row.
The former Miami Dolphin played well at times during his first three years in the NFL, but he needs to shake the injury bug that has hindered him early in his career.
"I have to get 16 [games]," Davis said. "It's a huge thing for me as far as staying healthy this whole time. I know that if I stay healthy, the sky is the limit.
"It's a big year. It's the last year of my rookie contract. If you do everything right, you have a lot of things as far as next year – more money, second contract."
Davis practiced in a limited capacity this offseason, but didn't participate in any full-team drills. His participation will ramp up when the Ravens take their field for their first practice July 28. He'll get thrust into the cornerback competition, and he's said throughout the offseason that he has his eye on a starting job.
Jimmy Smith is a lock to start at one of the cornerback spots as long as he's fully recovered from an offseason foot procedure, but Davis plans to challenge incumbent Shareece Wright for his starting job.
"Of course, Shareece is going to be in the lead right now alongside Jimmy," Davis said. "When I'm healthy, I'll be right there neck and neck fighting for it. I love that it's great competition."
Davis showed his potential last season after shining in his Ravens debut against Pittsburgh. He helped hold All Pro receiver Antonio Brown to just 42 receiving yards a week after coming to Baltimore, but was then injured the next game.
As the Ravens look for players to step up in the secondary in training camp, Davis hopes to pick up right where he left off before getting hurt.
"It's a big opportunity," Davis said. "It pushes you to get better. During this month, five weeks until the first game, it's going to be a fun battle. I think everybody knows going into it that it's all love, but at the same time we're competing against teammates to get the best 11 on the field come September."
