With the Ravens completing their first two days of training camp in Owings Mills on Wednesday and Thursday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The extent of full-team participation for Nnamdi Madubuike has been pre-practice stretching before working out on a side field, and that’s fine. One would assume a goal of getting him full-contact reps in joint practices in the latter half of August, and there’s plenty of time to build to that.
2. The defensive line picture is difficult to evaluate with Baltimore slow playing Calais Campbell and neither Travis Jones nor John Jenkins expected to begin practicing for another week or so. You’d like to see C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles, and Rayshaun Benny take advantage of extra reps in the meantime.
3. While you never want to overreact to a 7-on-7 rep without the threat of contact, the highlight of the first two days was Ja’Kobi Lane’s leaping catch of a Lamar Jackson pass over the middle. The 6-foot-4 rookie’s catch radius is evident as he drew cheers from fans on hand.
4. While Jackson is off to a fast start and rapidly picking up the new offense, Tyler Huntley threw interceptions on back-to-back plays Thursday as part of his choppy beginning. Chidobe Awuzie picked him off after Devontez Walker slipped on his route, and Keondre Jackson intercepted Huntley on the next rep.
5. With Ethan Pocic returning from a torn Achilles suffered last December, the Ravens are easing him into the practice mix, but you also sense that they do like Danny Pinter as real competition for the center job. Still, it’s tough not to like Pocic as the favorite if he’s healthy.
6. Asked about Trey Hendrickson’s impact for the pass rush and the entire defense, Roquan Smith offered a big smile before saying, “It takes so much stress off of everyone … because you know the ball actually has to come out.” Hendrickson and Madubuike’s return certainly add serious pass-rushing juice.
7. One hopes Hendrickson’s presence opens the door for Mike Green to take the next step after a quiet rookie season. The 2025 second-round pick has shown good burst rushing from the edge over the first couple days and needs to continue that when the pads come on next week.
8. It was interesting seeing every member of the offensive line group spaced out and simultaneously working on firing out of a 3-point stance during an individual period on Wednesday. Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford has a reputation for being very intentional when it comes to teaching technique.
9. Coaches and players are always positive when asked about players and teammates, but it was notable hearing Kyle Hamilton — without being asked — single out Malaki Starks’ potential to become the league’s best safety. We’ll see about that, but the trio of Hamilton, Starks, and Jaylinn Hawkins looks formidable on paper.
10. There’s no shortage of intrigue surrounding Declan Doyle’s offense, especially after being the coordinator for Ben Johnson’s Chicago offense that ranked fourth in the NFL in under-center snaps last year. Many have noted Jackson’s under-center passing efficiency in the past and want to see more of those looks under Doyle.
11. Though there’s more attention on Jackson’s contract status, Hamilton signed his extension at the end of last year’s preseason, which leaves you wondering if the Ravens could get something done with Flowers in the near future. Asked about that possibility, he did smile before deferring to his agent handling that.
12. Camp observations are fun after a long offseason, but this is my annual disclaimer about not making much of anything about snapshots in practice settings frequently lacking context. When you’ve covered enough training camps, you understand the summer can be one heck of a fooler when attempting to draw conclusions.
Ravens not practicing on second day of training camp:
DT Calais Campbell
DT Travis Jones
DT John Jenkins
ILB Teddye Buchanan
CB Bilhal Kone
OLB Adisa Isaac
OL Corey Bullock pic.twitter.com/gEy0xIgrne— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) July 30, 2026
