Marquise Brown can run faster than he looked catching a slant pass during Tuesday's practice. But Brown was moving, fast enough to get people's attention.
Once backup quarterback Joe Callahan made the short throw, Brown took care of the rest.
"I didn't even see him throw it, I just seen the ball," Brown said. "I was like, 'I got to go get the ball.' When the ball comes your way, no matter what percent you are, you got to be able to make the play."
Brown made the catch and took off downfield as fans voiced their approval. It was only a training camp rep, but it captured the anticipation surrounding the Ravens' first-round pick, and what his explosiveness could mean to the offense.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson said he didn't see the entire play from the sideline, but he has thrown to Brown enough to know about his speed.
"He's fast," Jackson said. "Actually, I missed it. That's how fast he is. I came back, and I was like, 'What happened?' They were like, 'He caught a slant and just went.' I was like, 'Dang, I caught the end of it. My fault.''
After sitting out Monday's practice, Brown had his heaviest workload since becoming a Raven, participating in Tuesday's entire practice and running a variety of routes. Brown said he wasn't sure when he would be ready to play, as the Ravens prepared to host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
"Whatever they tell me, I'll just stick to the timeline," Brown said.
However, Tuesday was another positive step in his recovery from Lisfranc foot surgery in January, a process that has taught Brown to be patient. After two full practices Saturday and Sunday, Brown did not suit up Monday before stepping back on the field Tuesday.
"It was hard at first, but I know what's ahead of me," Brown said. "It's a long season. Whatever they tell me to get right, I'm going to do it."
Brown says he's still rusty, having missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp before he participated in his first practice Aug. 10. However, Brown has felt more comfortable on the field every day, and he has been studying diligently in the classroom and on the sidelines.
"You can watch defenses and you can see the way coverage rolls, the way people move," Brown said. "You just got to take the mental reps. If I was in on this play, what would I have done? I do that every day."
Head Coach John Harbaugh was very pleased with what he saw from Brown.
"Yes, he looked great today," Harbaugh said. "It's going to be a process with Marquise. We'll see how he feels from one day to the next. It's healing. Part of it is just getting stronger from the reps. He's been healing, so he hasn't been running. There are muscles in there that need to be trained, but he looked great today. He looked really good."
In other training camp notes:
- Tight end Hayden Hurst was the best player in practice, a presence in every session and playing with confidence. He also punctuated a touchdown catch with the best spike of the day.
- Jackson had a consistent day throwing the football after not throwing as well Sunday and Monday. He threw a pinpoint deep ball to tight end Mark Andrews that was reminiscent of the long touchdown completion they pulled off against the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
- Things got a little intense between tight end Nick Boyle and safety Chuck Clark, but they were quickly separated. Harbaugh attributed some the tension to the grind of training camp. "They're getting sick of each other," he said.
- Marlon Humphrey and Tony Jefferson both had interceptions, as the secondary continued to make plays.
- Not practicing were wide receiver Seth Roberts, offensive linemen Marshal Yanda, Greg Senat, and Randin Crecilius; linebackers Pernell McPhee, Matthew Judon and Mike Onuoha; and cornerbacks Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, and Iman Marshall. Harbaugh said it was a rest day for Smith and a couple other guys went for tests, but there's nothing to comment on now.
