As Head Coach John Harbaugh said, it was a great day for football Wednesday at the Under Armour Performance Center as the Ravens are in their first week of Organized Team Activities.
The Ravens held their second practice, and first open to reporters to watch.
Here are some of the takeaways from the field:
- Outside linebacker David Ojabo is having a blast. He's visibly in a good place physically and mentally after sitting out almost all of his rookie season. Ojabo started 11-on-11 work with a strong stop on an outside run by Justice Hill, which is not something Ojabo is known for but is working hard to improve. Later in practice, he flashed a nimble inside spin move to win for what would have been a sack, or at least a quarterback hit.
- Not to be outdone by his former high school teammate, Odafe Oweh also had a good practice. He blew up an end around in the backfield and also had a few strong pass rush reps.
- Third-year wide receiver Tylan Wallace made the play of the day with a leaping grab deep down the sideline over rookie cornerback Kyu Blu-Kelly, who couldn't have been in better position. Wallace skied, tipped the ball up, and caught it barely inbounds as he crashed to the turf near the pylon.
- Speaking of receivers that can elevate, Nelson Agholor's leaping ability and body control is impressive. It's Agholor's 30th birthday Wednesday, spawning some wise cracks from teammates. Agholor responded with something about how people haven't seen 30 look this good, and he backed it up.
- Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers caught a fair number of practices in 11-on-11 work with Odell Beckham Jr. not at OTAs yet and Rashod Bateman limited as he comes back from foot surgery.
- Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's energy is impossible to miss. He's always coaching – every single rep – and is very animated. It's not just harping on what a player might be doing wrong, as Monken dishes out positive reinforcement as well.
- Linebacker Roquan Smith got the defense fired up when he sniffed out a running back screen and destroyed it like a heat-seeking missile. The first to congratulate him with a leaping bump was Patrick Queen.
- Safety Geno Stone had an interception when a pass to tight end Isaiah Likely that bounced off his hands. Veteran cornerback addition Rock Ya-Sin also registered a pass breakup.
- After bulking up with more muscle last offseason, Lamar Jackson said he didn't have any specific training focus this year. His arm looked as live as ever.
- Wide receiver Devin Duvernay took the next step in his comeback from his foot injury late last season. He wasn't doing much at football school, but participated in individual drills Wednesday, along with Bateman. Head Coach John Harbaugh said both are "right on schedule."
