Lamar Jackson proves he’s feeling better, returns to Ravens training camp with a lot of energy

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson backed up and several Baltimore Ravens defenders were closing in on him. He turned once, hoping to create space — it didn’t work. So he turned again, but that didn’t work either. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and defensive lineman Justin Madubuike had the quarterback locked in, and the play was blown for a sack.

Still, Jackson wanted to finish what he started, so he kept moving forward, jumping in and out before reaching the end zone and throwing the ball away as the fans cheered.

It wasn’t Jackson’s best play of the afternoon. That was probably his throw to Tylan Wallace, who was a step ahead of Marlon Humphrey as he crossed the field and caught Jackson’s throw on the way to the end zone. Or maybe it was Jackson’s dart to Mark Andrews down the seam, the tight end stretching between three defenders to catch a highlight reel.

Nice day at the office photo.twitter.com/hyBhcHZc5U

—Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 27, 2024

But Jackson’s movement on the play in which he was sacked left little doubt that he was finally feeling better. The Ravens ended their first week of training camp — they have Sunday off — with a dose of good news. Their two-time MVP quarterback was back and showing no apparent effects from the illness that forced him out of Wednesday’s practice and kept him out of the other four on-field practices that week.

“I thought he looked good,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He had a lot of energy. I know he worked really hard to get here and worked really hard to make sure he was ready to do his best, the best he could. I thought he did that. Even as practice went on, you could see him finding himself more and more. I was really pleased with it.”

Jackson stepped onto the practice field and seemed eager to show everyone he was back. During warmups, he rushed the sideline to catch a pass from his center, Tyler Linderbaum, prompting cheers from the crowd.

During a practice, he demonstrated how to run a route for veteran receiver Nelson Agholor. In a red-zone drill, he connected with Agholor for a touchdown, and the two celebrated with a flying chest bump. It was a far cry from Wednesday, when the quarterback, who had missed the first three practices with the illness, struggled to complete passes and then walked off the field, weary, with members of the athletic training and medical staff.

As expected, an offense dominated by defense in the first week of training camp had its best day. Andrews and fellow tight end Isaiah Likely made their share of plays, as did Agholor. With the team’s No. 1 receiver, Zay Flowers, away from the team to attend a family wedding, Rashod Bateman made several catches. Wallace, fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker and Deonte Harty were involved, and Jackson also joined undrafted rookie Qadir Ismail for a long connection.

“Lamar brings that leadership,” Likely said. “That smile, it’s infectious, not just for the offense, for the team, knowing your leader is here, knowing he’s going to give (everything) he’s got.”

Jackson showed some rust early. He was intercepted in one-on-one drills by Humphrey. He was intercepted again by Humphrey in full-team work. He sharpened up as practice went on, though. He was especially good on a two-minute drive that ended with a touchdown to Agholor.

“He’s the best quarterback in football — we believe in him and we’re determined to prove it,” Harbaugh said. “He’s out there today working with the guys. That makes a big difference.”

Ravens honor Jacoby Jones

The Ravens had a contingent in New Orleans, including kicker Justin Tucker, senior special teams coach Randy Brown, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and senior vice president of communications Chad Steele, to attend the service for Jacoby Jones, the former player who died on July 14.

Back at their training facility, the Ravens honored one of the heroes of their Super Bowl XLVII victory, with many of their coaches and team officials wearing bandanas with Jones’ No. 12 on them. Harbaugh said the team dedicated Saturday’s practice to Jones.

“We had the opportunity to come out here and do what he loved to do, and it really couldn’t have been more fitting than to have almost 50 youth soccer teams — including girls flag teams — cheering the entire practice,” Harbaugh said. “In honor of Jacoby and his great energy, smile, love of the game and love of life, we dedicate that effort to him.”

Ravens staff wears 12 bandanas today in honor of Jacoby Jones photo.twitter.com/2ig15hSSCO

—Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 27, 2024

Other thoughts, observations

• The Ravens were having a pretty good first week injury-wise before veteran cornerback Trayvon Mullen fell on his shoulder early in Saturday’s practice. Mullen, who missed all of last season after undergoing summer toe surgery, lay down for a while before being led off the field. He was in obvious pain as he got up and was wheeled to the locker room. Harbaugh had no update after practice. If Mullen misses any time, it would be a major setback for a guy who was considered a roster bubble player. He’s also enjoyed a solid start to camp.

• After the defense gave up a touchdown in a red zone drill, Harbaugh walked over to defensive coordinator Zach Orr and defensive pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Chris Hewitt for an extended chat. Veteran slot cornerbacks Arthur Maulet and Humphrey joined in on the conversation. Maulet and Harbaugh kept the conversation going after the defense moved to another part of the field.

“We try to be, we say ‘obnoxious in our communication, overzealous in our communication.’ We’re talking about leverage there on the goal line, whether we want the defender to be inside or outside in his coverage,” Harbaugh said, disputing the question that described the conversation as heated. “How much help does he really have in that coverage, and that’s what we talked about. Where do we want to put him? And we want to have those conversations throughout training camp, on all of our football (details), all the time. We want to quality control ourselves all the time.”

• The Ravens held pass catcher/defensive back one-on-one for the first time in training camp. The highlight was Likely beating All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton wide with a stutter-step move that Hamilton froze. Likely also got a step on Hamilton in the back of the end zone to catch a touchdown pass from Jackson later in the practice. The third-year tight end has had a hot start to camp. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken will have to find ways to get Andrews and Likely involved while they’re both on the field, but there’s no reason Likely shouldn’t be a major factor in the offense this season.

• Flowers aside, it wasn’t a great start to camp for the team’s young receivers. That changed Saturday with Jackson back on the field. Jackson overthrew a well-covered Walker on one play, but the rookie made a couple of plays later in practice. Ismail, an undrafted free agent whose father, Qadry, was on the Ravens’ first Super Bowl team, beat safety Daryl Worley for a deep touchdown and then made a juggling catch in the middle of the field. Sean Ryan, who spent last season on the practice squad, had one of the day’s highlights, catching a deep pass over cornerback Bump Cooper Jr. and making sure his feet stayed inbounds. Converted quarterback Malik Cunningham also recovered from an early drop to record multiple receptions.

• Friday was the team’s first day in pads, and there were times when the offensive line struggled. The defense seemed to be working on a few different blitzes, and Baltimore’s offensive line struggled to pick them up all day, resulting in a lot of free runners during practice. The Ravens were back in pads on Saturday, and the offensive line was much better. Quarterbacks mostly had time to run through their progressions and throw the ball.

• While the offense probably had its best practice of the camp, the defense still managed to get its hands on several footballs. Humphrey, who has been practicing well, caught two Jackson overthrows. First-round rookie Nate Wiggins also had an interception, as did Christian Matthew.

(Photo: Tommy Gilligan/USA Today)