The Ravens' deep passing game got hot near the end of Saturday's practice, which is technically speaking the last of training camp.
Rashod Bateman, who returned to full-team action Friday as he ramps up his return from foot surgery, caught a long pass from Lamar Jackson during 7-on-7 drills. Bateman got a step behind new cornerback Ronald Darby.
In 11-on-11s, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made a spectacular one-handed grab … but was out of bounds. Still, it was a sight to see and drew a loud cheer from fans. Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked where that catch ranks among Beckham's best of camp.
"No … he's had like five or six. That's kind of his thing. Did you know that? The one-handed catch," Harbaugh joked with a reporter. "I don't know – I don't. I can't rate them. Any time they're caught, I'm happy. Was he in bounds on that? We'll see it. It's under review. We'll see it in our team meeting later."
Then Jackson threw his best pass of the day. He escaped the pocket to his left and, on the move, delivered a long pass to rookie first-round pick Zay Flowers, who was streaking up the sideline. The pass hit him in stride and Flowers took it to the end zone.
Here are other highlights from Saturday's practice:
- New outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney made his debut and a good first impression. Clowney has a very fast first step and showed off a sweet leaping chop move in his limited 11-on-11 action. "He was quick. He looks like he's in shape. You can tell he's been working hard. He says he had, and you can see it. I thought he fit right in," Harbaugh said.
- The Ravens' outside linebackers and defensive linemen got to show off their hands with warm-ups of slants and go routes. Before he became an outside linebacker in college, Odafe Oweh wasrecruited as a tight end. I can see it …
- Even though the Ravens signed Darby, do not count out the possibility of Brandon Stephens or Kevon Seymour stepping into the starting lineup while Marlon Humphrey is out. Stephens and Seymour both had a very good practice, and the secondary has held up fine in practice despite the onslaught of injuries. Seymour defended a long fade for Beckham well and also had a pass defensed against Nelson Agholor. Stephens went up high to break up a touchdown shot to Agholor and had good coverage on a long ball intended for Beckham.
- Inside linebacker Josh Ross got an interception off a tipped pass.
- Running back J.K. Dobbins went down on one play and seemed to reach for his hip, but he waived off Gus Edwards when he tried to replace him for the next play.
- The scariest part of practice was when Team Photographer Joey Pulone was accidentally run over by players when a play down the sideline took them out of bounds. Harbaugh joked that Pulone was in the concussion protocol but reported that he was OK. "I think he got a knee to the head there. He opened his eyes, looked at me, and I said, 'Good morning,' and he laughed," Harbaugh said.
