Baltimore Ravens 2024 training camp Day 2 observations: Bateman shines in the pouring rain, defense nabs multiple touchdown takeaways

Midway through practice, the overcast turned into mighty rainfall in Owings Mills, Maryland. It didn’t stop practice, but rather gave them the opportunity to compete in the elements, where wide receiver Rashod Bateman elevated his game and reeled in a couple highlight grabs.

Attendance/Injury

1. QB Lamar Jackson (illness)
2. RB Keaton Mitchell (PUP)
3. OLB Adisa Isaac (NFI) (Hamstring)
4. LB Yvandy Rigby (undisclosed)
5. CB T.J. Tampa Jr. (PUP) (sports hernia)
6. DB Tre Swilling (waived)

In a coinciding move, the Ravens added veteran defensive back Daryl Worley to their 90-man roster, who was in attendance today.

Bateman Blossoms in the Rain

Early in practice, quarterback Josh Johnson threw a deep route to Bateman, being covered by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. The ball sailed too far for Bateman to grab whilst having his jersey tugged a bit from Humphrey, leaving the training camp crowd’s excited cheers fall flat. But when the midway drizzling rain turned into a downpour, Bateman’s game elevated. During 11-on-11s, Bateman managed to snare a ball inches from the soaking wet grass with his fingertips, while being covered by cornerback Brandon Stephens, who went up for the ball too early, allowing Bateman to contort his body and catch the ball low and behind Stephens. Later on, he hauled in another pass. Then another. His sharpness in the elements was a boost for the offense.

“You do some good things and more good things seem to come, hopefully. But Rashod’s been working to make plays,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “To see him come out here and make those catches— those are great catches, the traffic catches, one catch he plucked off the ground there, so I was excited. Everybody was fired up about it. But that’s what we expect from Rashod Bateman. He’s expected to be a top receiver in the league for us. That’s what we’re planning on. To see him true to form today was nice to see.”

Playmaking Packages on Defense

There were some interesting defensive packages on the field today which included both cornerback Arthur Maulet and safety Kyle Hamilton today, where one or both players were in out-of-the-ordinary spots. As noted in yesterday’s observations, Maulet’s been one of the most impactful players throughout the offseason program and it’s bled into the first two practices, as Maulet had his second straight day with an interception, though this one came after the whistle due to the defensive line getting to the quarterback. Harbaugh was asked if they’re trying to find ways to keep both on the field due to their performances.

“Certainly. What you’ll see is personnel groups with different guys in different spots,” Harbaugh said. “The basic personnel group with Arthur at nickel is a group. And then you’ve got a group with Marlon [Humphrey] at nickel. You’ve got a group with Kyle down there at that spot. Kyle can be over at the dime. So, I think that’s the beauty of what we have an opportunity to do and a lot of guys to play to starter level and be on the field and mix it up a little bit and create problem for offenses.”

Oweh Keeps Pressuring the Quarterbacks

Oweh’s attendance in the backfield on Day 2 of practice repeated Day 1’s, where he was often slashing in and around the tackles en route to pressuring quarterbacks. He’s looked sharp and he spoke today on how he’s feeling right now.

“I feel pretty good,” Oweh said. “I thank God, it was a good offseason. [I] recovered from my surgery pretty well. So yeah, I feel good.”

Oweh spent part of the offseason working with defensive lineman Justin Madubuike and outside linebackers David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson in Atlanta with Defensive line specialist Dez Walker.

“It was good work. Hot. It was really hot,” Oweh said. “I feel like that is going to prepare us for the week’s ahead, especially in training camp. But we got a lot of good work with Dez Walker. It was good work.”

Regarding the surgery, Oweh said it was a “minor” surgery and described it as “a quick fix.”

Eddie Jackson Nabs Interception In Second Practice

It didn’t take long for ballhawking free agent addition Eddie Jackson to make his presence known as he picked off quarterback Emory Jones about halfway through practice and took it back the other way for a touchdown. Jackson is known for his ability to not only intercept the ball, but take it back for defensive touchdowns as he’s tied with former Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters for the most defensive touchdowns since entering the league in 2017, with six scores.

“It felt good [to get the interception] and get back into the rhythm of things,” Jackson said. Back into a routine and being able to come out here and compete and make plays.”

Jackson shared he joined the Ravens after his visit due to it feeling like “a perfect fit.”

“It was pretty much I came here on a visit, met with the coaches, a lot of the training staff, equipment staff, people like that and it just felt like a perfect fit. Just knowing what they have in this building and the tradition of things, I just knew it was a perfect fit for me to come in and compete and do what I got to do to help the team get better and hopefully win a Super Bowl.”

Big Play Highlights

• Undrafted rookie defensive lineman Tramel Walthour leapt up at the line to intercept rookie quarterback Devin Leary and run it back for a defensive touchdown during 11-on-11 drills.
• Leary sent a wheel route pass to rookie running back Rasheen Ali, who made the over-the-shoulder grab against linebacker Trenton Simpson who was stride-for-stride with Ali.
• Quarterback Josh Johnson side-armed a throw around the tackle and pass-rusher on the right side to wide receiver Nelson Agholor on a tough, downpour throw.
• Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis broke up an Emory Jones throw to Agholor. Armour-Davis was in good coverage throughout the route.
• Hamilton, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington all stopped running back Justice Hill at or behind the line of scrimmage due to shedding their blockers quickly.
• Johnson connected with wide receiver Zay Flowers on a wide receiver screen but it was quickly shut down by swarming defensive linemen. Both Jones and Tavius Robinson flew to the ball, denying anything more than a short gain. The play recognition and reaction was immediate and impressive.
• Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins came up with his first interception as a Raven. He delivered a solid practice today blanketing receivers. I saw only one bad rep in today’s practice where he was flagged for defensive holding against wide receiver Tylan Wallace.

False Start Laps

The Ravens instituted a rule this offseason that any player who jumps before the snap runs a lap around the field. There were five players who ran laps today.

• OL Andrew Vorhees (1)
• TE Isaiah Likely (2)
• WR Sean Ryan (1)
• TE Charlie Kolar (1)
• OL TyKeem Doss (1)