Ravens stock watch: Who stood out and who didn’t at OTAs and minicamp
The locker room is empty. The jerseys are put away. The grass is undisturbed.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is back home in South Florida. Linebacker Roquan Smith is globetrotting, with trips planned for Spain and France. Running back Derrick Henry is presumably working out at a gym somewhere. Safety Kyle Hamilton is likely on a golf course.
Life in the NFL is quiet this time of year, and Baltimore’s players are off until the start of training camp — which this year comes early with rookies reporting July 13 and veterans July 20 — after wrapping up mandatory minicamp last week and 10 sessions of voluntary organized team activities before that.
Still, there was plenty to be gleaned from the past month of practices. Here’s a look at who stood out, who didn’t and what questions the Ravens still face as they enter their final respite before renewing their pursuit of the franchise’s elusive third Super Bowl trophy.
Who impressed
Isaiah Likely
Guess which team led the NFL in expected points added per play when passing from 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) last season? That could be a sign of things of what’s to come for Isaiah Likely.
While there was a huge jump for Baltimore in its use of 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three wide receivers) last season from 9.8% to 64%, it’s possible Baltimore could take a step back to feature two tight end sets more often.
After career highs in receiving yards (411), touchdowns (five) and yards per target (10.3) last season, Likely is expected to be featured even more this year. He’s already looked the part over the past month, making a few leaping catches, including some with one hand.
Given his abilities as someone who can go up to get the ball and stretch the field vertically, it would be logical for the Ravens to get Likely and fellow tight end and Jackson security blanket Mark Andrews on the field more often.
Malik Cunningham and Sean Ryan
Once dubbed a quarterback by coach John Harbaugh after the Ravens signed Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad late last season, the former Louisville star has made a mostly seamless transition to wide receiver.
“He’s shown a lot of speed, a lot of quickness,” Harbaugh said. “[He’s] kind of a natural at the position, and I’ve seen that he understands the game from the perspective of the quarterback, so [his] routes and coverage and timing and things like that have been excellent.”
Cunningham made a few nice catches in every practice and fit in with the group.
Along with Ryan, a 2023 undrafted free agent out of Rutgers who has also stood out so far, the wide receiver group is one of the more intriguing ones to watch this summer. Beyond the top three spots that belong to Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, there are jobs up for grabs.
Trenton Simpson
Players weren’t in pads and there was no “live” contact over the past month, so it’s sometimes difficult to gauge progress for some players or positions. That wasn’t true of Simpson.
He’s added a few pounds and physically looks the part of the prototypical inside linebacker — fast, strong and able to diagnose plays quickly.
Simpson has also been lauded by coaches not just for his speed and quickness, but his football IQ. Add in the bond he has formed with All-Pro linebacker Smith — the two are visiting Spain together this summer — and it looks like the 2023 third-round draft pick will be able to slide right in without much competition to replace the departed Patrick Queen.
Most of the offensive line
The offensive line en masse had nearly perfect attendance through the offseason program — not surprising given that three starting jobs and several backup roles are up for grabs. The players also didn’t disappoint.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley looks trim, mobile and healthy. Center Tyler Linderbaum is expected to continue to perform at a Pro Bowl level. And while the rest of the group wasn’t able to separate much if at all from one another given the nature of the practices, they collectively, for the most part, drew praise from Harbaugh as well as veteran offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris.
“I’ve seen good competition,” said Alessandris, who has moved players all over the line. “Andrew [Vorhees] is doing a great job. ‘Sala’ [Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu] is doing a good job. Josh Jones is doing a good job. Ben [Cleveland] is doing a good job inside there, so you just keep seeing all these young men doing it, and the good news is, this is the time of year where you’re learning assignment, communication [and] playing fast. The contact is not there. That’s going to come. Training camp is what that’s built for along with games. Then, we’ll see how it plays out from there.”
Jalyn Armour-Davis and Tre Swilling
The Ravens like to keep a deep cornerback room, and that’ll be the case again this year. Two players, among others, who have looked good are the oft-injured Armour-Davis and Swilling, a member of the practice squad last season.
Now in his third season, Armour-Davis has looked fast, didn’t see a lot of balls thrown his way because of tight coverage and had an interception.
Swilling, meanwhile, took advantage of safety Marcus Williams’ absence during OTAs and Hamilton being sidelined in minicamp with an elbow injury and more than held his own.
Who didn’t impress
Marlon Humphrey
Though Humphrey was on the field early during OTAs, he did not participate for the bulk of the offseason because of what Harbaugh called “nagging things.”
“He should be ready for training camp,” Harbaugh said. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Midway through last August, Humphrey underwent foot surgery and ended up missing the first four games of the season, and he was hampered by injury for much of the season. So while Humphrey’s health shouldn’t be a problem, as Harbaugh said, it’s probably something worth monitoring.
Ben Cleveland
Is this finally the year that Cleveland breaks out, or at least settles in, as the Ravens’ starting right guard?
“When Ben’s had his opportunities to start, he’s produced and done well,” D’Alessandris said. “You’ve seen nice progression and improvement, and I’m anxious to see now, when you start training camp, you put the pads on, and we’re going to see if he’ll continue. It has to be earned, right? It’s earned based on play production.”
That’s hardly a ringing endorsement for the 2021 third-round pick to be plugged in as an automatic starter. Perhaps more telling was that other players got more reps through OTAs and minicamp.
While the offensive line battles won’t shake out until at least the first couple of weeks of training camp, it’s unclear where Cleveland fits in. To D’Alessandris’ point, Cleveland played well when he did get on the field last season, yet there’s been little indication he’s near the front of the line for a starting role in 2024.
Adisa Isaac
The third-round outside linebacker out of Penn State suffered a hamstring “tweak” during rookie minicamp the week after the draft and hasn’t practiced since.
There’s no concern it was anything more than a short-term injury, and him being on an adjacent field working with trainers during minicamp was a good sign. Still, missing that many practices could slow the rookie’s chances of establishing himself.
Given the questions about the group as a whole, the Ravens need as many healthy and able players as possible at the position.
Already, Baltimore has seen the young careers of Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo affected by injuries. Veteran Kyle Van Noy is back, but Jadeveon Clowney moved on in free agency. Tavius Robinson and Malik Hamm figure to be competing for snaps, but are largely unproven. Isaac could have some catching up to do to make an impact, especially early on.
Rashod Bateman
On the last day of minicamp, Bateman caught everything that came his way, from plucking one underthrown ball off his shoe tops to a nice toe-tapping sideline grab. A day earlier, though, he only received a few targets and had even fewer catches. On a couple of occasions, he wandered off on his own seemingly upset with the day’s proceedings.
Clearly, though, the Ravens believe in Bateman, signing him to a two-year extension that he was even surprised by. Jackson has also been proactive in his praise of the talented wide receiver.
Yet questions remain about the chemistry between the two, especially after Bateman caught just 32 passes in what was his first fully healthy season. Harbaugh said he expects Bateman to take a big step forward this year, which would make the Ravens’ offense that much more explosive and dynamic. But even the players’ workout schedules didn’t align at times, with Jackson in South Florida and Bateman in Owings Mills during part of OTAs and vice versa.
Of course, it’s only June.
The start of training camp is still a month away. This summer, and the season, will provide even more answers.