Practice Report: Ravens Secondary Feasts on More Interceptions
Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com
Marcus Williams took the first play of 11-on-11s for a pick-six when Josh Johnson’s pass bounced off Derrick Henry’s hands. Marlon Humphrey got two interceptions. Kyle Hamilton, Jalyn Armour-Davis, and Trayvon Mullen all also notched picks.
“Hopefully we get a lot of those [during the season],” Hewitt said. “I give a lot of credit to [General Manager] Eric [DeCosta] and his staff for putting this roster together. We’ve got a lot of talented guys back there. We’ve got length, we’ve got speed, we’ve got guys who are pit bulls. We’ve got it all.”
Rookie Devontez Walker made a pretty toe-tapping deep catch down the left sideline and nearly hauled in a second but the ball was jarred loose at the last second by cornerback Christian Matthew.
Outside linebackers Malik Hamm and undrafted rookie Joe Evans are flashing their potential. Hamm got the edge quickly against undrafted rookie Darrell Simpson for what would’ve been a sack. Evans bowled over undrafted rookie tackle Julian Pearl.
Twelve Ravens Thoughts following Day 3 of open training camp
Luke Jones, Baltimore Positive
Kyle Hamilton had some fun at his teammate’s expense when asked about Humphrey’s weight loss. “He was getting a little gut last year. He wasn’t playing a lot. He just had a little chunkiness, but he dropped it.” A healthy Humphrey and Hamilton give Baltimore two dynamic nickel options.
Don’t say that too loud around Arthur Maulet, who pulled in a highlight interception on a deep pass intended for Nelson Agholor and did some pushups on the sideline after missing out on a second. He’s been consistently making plays on the ball dating back to spring workouts.
Rashod Bateman had another impressive day with a circus catch against tight coverage from Humphrey and another long gain on a short catch and run. It’ll be interesting to see if Bateman’s early-camp momentum continues when Jackson returns to the practice field.
Justin Madubuike appears to be in great shape and will try to build on his career-high 13 sacks. Considering the questions about the edge rush depth and how multiple this defense likes to be anyway, might Madubuike rush from the outside a little more a la Kansas City’s Chris Jones?
Daniel Faalele had made cameos as a guard in past offseasons, but this marks the first time he’s practiced extensively at right guard, which isn’t the typical position for a 6-foot-8, 380-pound lineman. It’s still very early, of course, but Harbaugh complimented Faalele’s “very good feet for his size.”
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey is leaner and opting for new approach after injury-plagued 2023
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Humphrey, 28, has been a defensive mainstay on the Ravens. When at his best, he can shadow the opposition’s top receiving threat. He’s a physical presence near the line of scrimmage and can create turnovers. He’s also been a defensive leader.
With the drafting of Nate Wiggins and T.J. Tampa and the signing of veteran safety Eddie Jackson, Baltimore believes it has upgraded one of the league’s top-performing secondaries from last season. However, the biggest addition the Ravens could probably get is having a healthy Humphrey, who can play both outside and in the slot.
• Rookie fourth-round receiver Devontez Walker and veteran Keith Kirkwood both had quiet starts to camp, but they made big plays Tuesday. Walker got behind veteran safety Daryl Worley and made a deep catch down the sideline. Kirkwood outdueled Trayvon Mullen to catch a back-shoulder throw in the corner of the end zone. Otherwise, we’ve seen plays being made pretty regularly by Zay Flowers and Bateman, along with tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but the rest of the receiving group has been relatively quiet.
Ravens training camp reset: Rookie Nate Wiggins has impressed, earning him a new nickname
Olivia Janik, The Baltimore Banner
“Nasty Nate,” the rookie revealed — a sign of the young cornerback’s strong start to training camp. “I guess I play nasty defense, so that’s his [Humphrey’s] nickname for me,” Wiggins said.
In his junior season, he faced 13 deep targets and only allowed one completion. At the NFL scouting combine, Wiggins ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.28 seconds.
The Ravens considered him the best cornerback in his class, and in the first week of training camp, Wiggins appears to be living up to the hype.
Since training camp began, Wiggins has been working on his technique for defending a wide receiver set to catch a pass, something he hopes to improve before the start of the season.
Ranking top NFL prospects: Best under-the-radar players
Aaron Schatz, ESPN
5. Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Age: 22 | 2023 UDFA | 135 offensive snaps
Mitchell exploded in Week 9 last season, when he took a late-game handoff and sped 40 yards past a group of Seahawks defenders for an easy touchdown, capping an incredible nine-carry, 138-yard performance. But we weren’t too surprised. Mitchell was one of the highest-rated running backs in the class of 2023 based on our BackCAST projection system. Perhaps NFL teams let him go undrafted because they were concerned about his size (5-foot-7, 179 pounds).
The Ravens are grateful they did. Mitchell had 59.5% DVOA on 47 carries, setting a new record for a running back with a minimum of 40 carries in a season. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in Week 15, prematurely ending his rookie season. Coach John Harbaugh said in a May press conference that Mitchell’s return was “not around the corner,” but the Ravens are optimistic that he will return at some point during the 2024 season to play lightning to Derrick Henry’s thunder.
6. Trenton Simpson, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Age: 23 | Drafted: 2023, Pick: 86 | 46 defensive snaps
This is entirely projection for a player who didn’t play much defense as a rookie. Simpson only played 20 snaps before Week 18, when Baltimore sat a number of starters in preparation for the playoffs. However, the Ravens front office has a good track record of proactively drafting players to eventually take over for departing free agents. They used a third-round pick on Simpson with the knowledge that Patrick Queen’s contract would be coming to an end after the 2023 season. Now Simpson will take over for Queen in the middle of the Baltimore defense next to Roquan Smith.
Simpson is fast and bends well. He showed explosiveness when used as a blitzer at Clemson and when he took down Mason Rudolph for his first NFL sack in Week 18. NFL Next Gen Stats gave him an athleticism score that ranked third among linebackers who attended the 2023 combine. Scouting reports dinged him for his inability to get off blocks, especially against offensive linemen, so he’ll need to improve that as he seeks to become an NFL star.