Day 2 in the books
A far more eventful day here in Owings Mills, Maryland, as the Ravens wrap up Day 2 of training camp.
Lamar Jackson Takes the Podium
All eyes were on the the star quarterback with Jackson speaking to the media following a solid day of practice. The questions regarding his contract negotiation were quick and Jackson did shed some light on the matter.
Jackson shared why he wasn’t holding in…
“I want to win at the end of the day, you know I just want to be great,” Jackson said. “I just want to rep with my brothers at the end of the day. I don’t want to leave them out there hanging. That’s not me. That’s never been me.”
Jackson shared there will be a cutoff point in the negotiations…
“There’s probably going to be a cutoff,” Jackson said.
Jackson shared he thinks something will get done eventually, but no guarantees…
“We’ll have to see,” Jackson said. When asked if it would be before the regular season, Jackson responded, “I said there’s going to be a cutoff so, hopefully.”
Head Coach John Harbaugh shared a little insight on the matter, noting he gets to “speak to both sides.”
“I can say both sides are motivated to get the job done,” Harbaugh said.
Jackson’s Big Throws
Today’s practice featured far more 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 reps than Day 1, and the offense—particularly Jackson, made the most of them.
On the third play of 11-on-11, Jackson hung back in the pocket before finding rookie tight end Isaiah Likely downfield for a 55-yard touchdown. The crowd here at 1 Winning Drive roared to life as a result. Jackson gave his props to Likely later on.
“Isaiah’s like a receiver but a tight end body,” Jackson said. “He’s like a Baby Mark [Andrews] right now. We’re gonna have to see him when we put the pads on. I don’t want to give him too much credit but he like that, for sure right now. He like that.”
Later on during 7-on-7, Jackson hit his second pinpoint back-shoulder throw, this one to Bateman.
Jackson spoke on the back-shoulder throws being a point of emphasis for him this offseason.
“Cornerbacks in the league, some times they like to play over the top and that’s where the throw is sometimes. So, we had to work on that this offseason and I did when [James Proche] and Bate[man] came out to California we were working on those a lot.”
Harbaugh also talked about Jackson’s connection with Jackson and his wide receivers.
“I think those kinds of things are points of emphasis for Lamar in the offseason,” Harbaugh said. “And to see him come in and make those throws is really a positive thing for us.”
Harbaugh Gives Updates on 2 Players
There have been a few question marks on the Ravens roster with offensive lineman Ben Cleveland being placed on the Non-Football Injury list and rookie tight end Charlie Kolar not practicing due to a possible sports hernia. Today, Harbaugh was asked about both players. Regarding Cleveland, he has not passed the conditioning test. As for Kolar, he’ll be missing more of camp as he’ll undergo sports hernia surgery early next week.
“It was a thing that was lingering from college,” Harbaugh said. “[Kolar] actually had a sports hernia in college, had a surgery—they’re going to redo that one as well. Not too much different than Rashod Bateman last year. Had the lingering stuff coming from college so we’ll get it cleaned up now. Would’ve loved to have gotten it cleaned up earlier but he didn’t have it, really, earlier. I think that he felt he could manage it, but it’s gotten to the point where it needs to be fixed.”