The Practice Report is an account of what happened on the field at today's open practice.
The Ravens got a sneak peek of what their biggest free-agent addition can bring to the field.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree signed with the Ravens as part of a receiving corps makeover, and the 10-year veteran gives the Ravens a proven red-zone threat. Crabtree put those skills on display during Monday's practice, which was his first full practice of training camp.
Crabtree hauled in a pair of short touchdowns from starting quarterback Joe Flacco.
The first score came during 11-on-11 drills in the middle of a driving rainstorm. Crabtree found a hole between slot cornerback Tavon Young and inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, and Flacco delivered a spot-on pass for the score.
A little bit later, Flacco found Crabtree in the front corner of the end zone in seven-on-seven drills. The pass was thrown a bit behind Crabtree, but he snagged the ball away from rookie cornerback Anthony Averett.
Crabtree's new teammates let out a big cheer after the play and he pretended to celebrate with an exaggerated spike before letting the ball down easy. Flacco also seemed fired up after the touchdown and jogged into the end zone to congratulate Crabtree.
Crabtree has seemed to develop a quick chemistry with Flacco, and he has all the tools of a No. 1 receiver. The 6-foot-1, 215 pounder catches the ball effortlessly, and those reliable hands will make him a popular target for Flacco this fall.
Monday was the first time that Flacco had gone through a full practice with Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead this camp, and it was a strong start for the group.
Here were some of the other notes from practice:
- Rookie tight ends Hayden Hurst (soft-tissue issue) and Mark Andrews (undisclosed) both didn't practice. Andrews initially missed the first day of practice with a soft-tissue issue, but then practiced the last three days, so it's unknown if his absence was related to the initial injury. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and linebacker Kenny Young both returned to practice after missing Sunday. Cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Maurice Canady both had the day off.
- Undrafted rookie Janarion Grant has been a pleasant surprise in the early part of training camp. He was best known for his return ability, but he's made a handful of plays on offense. He made a nice catch over the middle of about 15-yards [ADD] from quarterback Josh Woodrum and then followed it up with another big gainer over the middle from quarterback Lamar Jackson. He has his work cut out for him if he's going to earn a roster spot, but it's been a nice start to camp for him.
- Rookie Orlando Brown is getting the first-team reps at right tackle in the early part of camp. James Hurst is mostly playing right guard while starter Marshal Yanda continues to recover from a shoulder injury, which gives Brown a chance to prove himself at right tackle. The third-round pick had an up-and-down day. Outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith blew by him at one point during 11-on-11 drills, but he also held up well against plenty of other pass rushers.
- A scary moment in practice occurred when starting left guard Alex Lewis went down in a pile and grabbed for his ankle. He limped off the field with the help of the trainers, but then walked off the issue and returned to drills a few minutes later.
- Second-year linebacker Tyus Bowser showed off his versatility Monday. He broke up a pass in the end zone intended for running back Mark Thompson, which demonstrated his skills as a coverage linebacker. A little bit later, he flushed Jackson out of the pocket with a strong pass rush. The Ravens want to see Bowser take a big step in his development, and Monday's practice was a good sign.
- Rookie kicker Kaare Vedvik had one of the highlights of the day when he drilled a 67-yard field goal in the rain. The Marshall product has impressed the Ravens throughout the offseason. He's technically a punter, but he's shown he has the potential to play both positions.
