Ravens – Commanders Joint Practice Day 1 observations: Physical Defense

From the jump it was clear the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders were raring to compete against somebody other than themselves. Both sidelines were reinvigorated by teammates clapping, celebrating and jawing after a play was made. The

I spent my time in today’s joint practice watching the defense. Maybe turning attention toward the exciting new offense and the big-name weapons would be apropos, but I was curious with the areas most concerning on the Ravens’ roster. Can the secondary hold up? What about the pass rush?

Here are my observations.

Attendance/Injury

Wide receiver James Proche returned to practice.

According to Head Coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens held left tackle Ronnie Stanley out to “protect his ankle a little bit.”

Absences

1. TE I. Likely
2. QB Tyler Huntley
3. OT R. Stanley
4. CB J. Armour-Davis
5. CB D. Williams (ankle surgery)
6. CB R. Ya-Sin (knee)
7. CB A. Maulet
8. DB J. Amos

The remaining absences are on the PUP/NFI lists.

1. OL Andrew Vorhees (NFI)
2. OLB Tyus Bowser (NFI)
3. LS Nick Moore (NFI)

Physical Defense Stands Strong

For a few days now, the Ravens defense has gotten after their own squad at times. Last week linebackers Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith were giving a bit extra when defending, popping running backs and tight ends. That carried over when defenders were going against the Commanders.

The first pad-crack was new cornerback DeAndre Houston-Carson wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley. Nothing nefarious, just physical.

The energy from the pass rush was juiced, too. Linebacker Odafe Oweh notched in total three sacks, including this one.

It started to rise in tenacity after cornerback Marlon Humphrey wrecked wide receiver Curtis Samuel who was attempting to lead block.

The lone “scuffle” on the defensive side of the ball occurred after safety Ar’Darius Washington shoved tight end Cole Turner after he dropped the ball. It’s unclear if Washington noticed the drop as he was already heading in for the wrap-up but the extra shove and Turner’s ensuing stumble wasn’t taken kindly by wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The Commanders sideline cleared and words were exchanged, but nothing more. Humphrey loved the intensity from Washington, pulling him from the scrum and giving him helmet slaps.

More Defensive Highlights

Undrafted rookie Malik Hamm gets the sack as a free rusher

Undrafted rookie Jeremy Lucien had two pass breakups today, including this rep.