The Ravens’ secondary continues to be underneath building this offseason, however the items — perhaps the final of them — are at the very least in place.
With cornerback Kyle Fuller agreeing to a one-year deal, Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated Wednesday that he feels “really good about that group back there — I mean, really good about the secondary, personnel-wise.”
Not everybody within the Ravens’ revamped backfield was readily available for Wednesday’s first open apply of organized group actions, however there have been sufficient huge names to see the potential.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, again from a season-ending pectoral damage, didn’t hand over a lot to high large receiver Rashod Bateman in protection. Safety Kyle Hamilton, the group’s high draft decide, simply gained his two repetitions in one-on-ones towards rookie tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely. Safety Chuck Clark, displaying up for voluntary exercises regardless of hypothesis about his future in Baltimore, was on the entrance of the road for positional drills and the voice of the protection in group drills. Defensive again Brandon Stephens lined up in all places. Even reserve cornerback Kevon Seymour almost had two interceptions in a three-play span.
And there’s extra assistance on the best way, too. Humphrey stated security Marcus Williams, the group’s high offseason signing, will take part in subsequent week’s OTAs. Fuller, a Baltimore native whom Harbaugh referred to as a “proven corner,” would possibly be part of him. Cornerback Marcus Peters, in the meantime, is “coming along really well,” Harbaugh stated, in his restoration from a torn ACL.
“I think that’s enough smarts where I can just play ball,” Humphrey stated. “So I’m really excited about some of the guys that are here, or the young guys [rookie cornerbacks Damarion “Pepe” Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis], and a few of the guys that can be right here subsequent week, working with us.”
After final season, the Ravens know there’s room for enchancment. Injuries strained the group’s depth from Week 1 to Week 18, and breakdowns in protection proved pricey. The Ravens completed final within the NFL in cross protection (278.9 yards allowed per sport) and third worst in cross protection effectivity, in response to Football Outsiders.
Now the Ravens are lower than 4 months from the beginning of one other season the place — on paper, anyway — they’ll have one of many NFL’s most proficient secondaries. Could or not it’s the most effective?
“I would love to prove it,” Humphrey stated. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I would love to make that statement be true. I know there’s a lot of work to go into it, with me being coming back from injury, Marcus coming back from injury, a rookie Kyle Hamilton, a vet Chuck that’s really led our defense the past couple of years. I know we have all the pieces, so I think it’s all really down to the players to just go out there, communicate, be fundamentally sound and prove it. I think we’re in a position that I can’t recall we’ve been in before with just who we have. And I think it’ll all just come down to us.”
Oweh needs to ‘dominate’
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh’s expectations for his second yr in Baltimore are easy.
“Just dominate more,” he stated. “Finish. Be there more for my team in terms of making the plays in situations that we need. Being more aware in terms of things going around me.”
A more healthy shoulder ought to assist. Oweh underwent surgical procedure in late January to deal with a lingering subject, and he wore a harness at apply. He was a restricted participant Wednesday, however he stated he’s hoping to construct up his shoulder’s power “day by day, and I’ll be out there soon.”
“It kind of bothered me a little bit” final season, Oweh stated. “But coming from Penn State, growing up where I’ve grown up, you learn to play through stuff like that and not even think about it until the end. But it definitely got a little bit more kind of hectic toward the end of the season. But I’m good now. We’re straight.”
Despite lacking the ultimate two video games of the season with a foot damage, Oweh completed his rookie season with 5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits. After studying “things I didn’t even know I didn’t even know,” the previous first-round decide enters Year 2 able to make a leap.
“Even though I had the shoulder thing, I feel like everything else, I’m farther ahead than where I was [in] rookie camp,” he stated. “So I just feel better as an athlete. And then obviously, being a good outside linebacker, I feel good as well.”
Extra factors
- Quarterback Lamar Jackson, Peters, Fuller and Williams weren’t the one Ravens veterans lacking at Wednesday’s voluntary apply. Also absent had been offensive tackles Ronnie Stanley, Ja’Wuan James and Morgan Moses; operating backs J.Ok. Dobbins and Gus Edwards; tight finish Nick Boyle; defensive linemen Michael Pierce, Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe; outdoors linebackers Tyus Bowser, Jaylon Ferguson and David Ojabo; cornerback Iman Marshall; and security Ar’Darius Washington.
- Less than 9 months since tearing his Achilles tendon in apply, operating again Justice Hill was again on the sector. Armour-Davis, who missed the ultimate half-hour of the Ravens’ open rookie minicamp session, was additionally practising.
- Harbaugh stated it was “not surprising at all” to see Clark take part in voluntary exercises. “He didn’t want to miss OTAs. That was something that was important to him. And he came in here on Tuesday, ready to go, in great shape, and picked up right where he left off. Just walked in the building, and he was Chuck Clark, and running the defense. So it’s not surprising at all.”
- Tight finish Mark Andrews, who noticed Boyle in the course of the offseason in Arizona, stated he “looks like a different person, man.” Boyle, who’s been restricted to 14 video games over the previous two seasons, is “hungry” and “ready to go,” Andrews stated.
- Harbaugh joked that with retired punter Sam Koch now teaching rookie Jordan Stout, “punt practice seemed a little quieter and calmer out there.” But the fourth-round decide from Penn State has impressed up to now. “He’s got a big leg, I can tell you that,” Harbaugh stated. “And even when he misses, it still goes pretty far, which is kind of cool. That’s good; he’s got good misses, I guess you can say.”
- The NFL and the gamers union agreed to make expanded 16-man apply squads everlasting, according to a memo to all 32 teams. Players can be elevated from the apply squad as much as thrice earlier than being topic to waivers. Additionally, eight gamers per group can return from injured reserve and different reserve lists, however 4 video games should have elapsed earlier than a participant can return.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com