Ravens Focus on Chemistry, Communication During Minicamp

The third day of Ravens minicamp had a ‘last day of school’ vibe to it – even without class clown Marlon Humphrey present – with plenty of friendly trash talk and laughter throughout the team’s final practice before training camp begins in late July.

That’s not a bad thing for a roster and coaching staff that experienced so much turnover this offseason.

“There’s intentionality to everything we do,” said John Harbaugh after practice, and that includes efforts to build camaraderie before their six-week hiatus. Multiple players emphasized communication and chemistry during their post-practice pressers this week, especially with new DC Zach Orr installing his defense and three open positions along the starting offensive line.

Among those players is Kyle Van Noy, who was learning his teammates’ name in the huddle after jumping off the couch to join the Ravens in Week 3 last year. After re-signing in Baltimore, Van Noy has gotten more time getting to know his teammates before the chaos of the regular season.

“Things are little bit more calm, you can build relationships,” said Van Noy, “It’s fun to be around guys, get to know their families, hang out with them off the field.”

Van Noy thinks those personal relationships will translate into games: “You have a better understanding of where each and every person is coming from.”

Could This Edge Rusher be the ’24 Version of Clowney/Van Noy?

Chemistry played a big role in Rashod Bateman’s best practice of the spring, as he reeled in a number of passes from Lamar Jackson to assuage concerns about the pair’s connection on the field.

First, in red zone drills, Jackson found Bateman in the back of the end zone for a leaping toe-tap touchdown, then he rifled a completion to the fourth-year wideout in traffic during 7-on-7 work. Bateman then scooped a low pass from Josh Johnson before his most encouraging play of the day: an off-schedule sideline completion from Jackson.

That’s an area in which the duo struggled to sync up in past seasons. Oftentimes, Bateman would be isolated on the backside of a play design and win his route, only for Jackson to either still be going through his progressions or scrambling behind the line of scrimmage. Once the play was off-schedule, the two rarely seemed to be on the same page, with Jackson often finding Mark Andrews, Nelson Agholor, and Zay Flowers instead.

Today was different; when Jackson couldn’t find anyone open during one rep, Bateman flashed into the open space up the left sideline and his QB put the ball where only he could get it for a first down.

Bateman is expected to join Jackson and Flowers in Florida during the six-week break before training camp, per the Ravens’ Matt Ryan, something Jackson hinted at on Wednesday.

Elite Defense Or(r) Bust

For all the new players on the field this spring, only Derrick Henry could be considered more exciting than new defensive coordinator Zach Orr. The former Ravens linebacker has taken to his promotion with the same passionate approach that allowed him to earn a second-team All-Pro nod in his first season as a starter.

Baltimore’s current defenders raved about Orr all week, praising his aggressive play calls and relationship-oriented coaching.

“He was an aggressive player, so I think that’s what you’re going to see him as a coordinator,” said Van Noy. “He has a relationship, I would say, with everybody on defense. You don’t see that everywhere you go. Z.O. passions himself on relationships and communication. He’s done a really good job of communicating what he wants done, and you better do it.”

That aggression was on full display this week; Orr’s exotic blitz packages gave the Ravens offense fits on Tuesday and the unit continued to make plays throughout the week.

Orr celebrated every sack and interception from the sideline; at 32 years old and with less than a decade in the NFL, he still has a young man’s passion for the game. He’s not even older than all of the players on his unit; Van Noy and Brent Urban are both 33.

“I love Z.O. A big fan of his and have been since he played,” said Van Noy, “He played the right way when he played, and he coaches the right way, too.” Van Noy faced Orr once in his playing career, a 2016 Patriots win over the Ravens in which Orr notched 11 tackles as part of his All-Pro campaign.

Marcus Williams expressed a similar sentiment about Orr’s experience as a player: “I’m excited. You’ve got a guy who’s been out there on the field, done what we’ve done, and now he’s transitioning to the DC job, which I think he’s doing a good job of right now.”

But Orr has no bigger fan in the building than Roquan Smith, who practically gushed about his new coordinator on Tuesday.

“I’m extremely proud of Z.O., happy for him and the way he works. The guy busts his tail day in and day out. His career ended short, because he probably would still be playing right now if it wasn’t for that,” said Smith.

Smith credits Orr for helping him learn the Ravens playbook well enough to play 76% of the team’s defensive snaps less than a week after he arrived in Baltimore.

“My first day here, I remember going up to his office, meeting, going over pretty much every play,” explained Smith. “There was a lot – my head was spinning a little bit, but he was very patient with me, and he was able to teach the information that I would need in order to succeed playing a game within six days. I think that’s a credit to how he gets down, how he’s about his business. I’m just excited for him to show the world exactly how he calls a game and how he motivates a defense like no other.”

Those are three resounding endorsements from three of the Ravens veteran defensive leaders; it’s safe to say Mike Macdonald left his league-leading defense in good hands.

Young Pass Catchers Impress

Malik Cunningham has wasted no time after fully transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver in Baltimore, getting more than his fair share of targets this spring. He’s had a drop or two, but no more than the rest of the receivers corps, and he consistently gets open underneath.

According to John Harbaugh, he’s “kind of a natural at the position.”

“Malik has looked good at wide receiver,” said Harbaugh. “He’s shown a lot of speed, a lot of quickness.” Harbaugh also explained that Cunningham’s experience at QB helps him on the other end of the passing game.

“I’ve seen that he understands the game from the perspective of the quarterback, so [his] routes and coverage and timing and things like that have been excellent,” added Harbaugh. Cunningham is also one of several Ravens competing for kick returning duties after the departure of All-Pro returner Devin Duvernay during the offseason.

Sean Ryan continues to fly under the radar as one of the most steady sets of hands on the offensive side of the ball. He may not be making one-handed grabs over defenders, but he knows his assignments and takes care of business when called upon.

This is still John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, so both players’ path to a roster spot likely depends on their ability to contribute on special teams: Cunningham as a returner and Ryan as a gunner. That’s an area in which Ryan failed to stand out last summer, but he’s put in the work so far this spring and will get a chance to show even more once the pads come on.

Rookie wideout Qadir Ismail – son of Ravens Super Bowl-winning WR Qadry Ismail – seems to have made a strong impression on Harbaugh after making the 91-man roster as a tryout player after going undrafted in April.

“I would say he’s looked really good,” said Harbaugh, “He’s had a nice camp, signed as a tryout player. Obviously he’s got a family pedigree, but he’s doing it all on his own, and he made a couple of catches today. He looked good out there.”

After not getting many targets on the first two days of mandatory minicamp, Ismail made the most of his opportunities today, beating Brandon Stephens for a red zone TD from Lamar Jackson and later securing another in traffic from Josh Johnson.

Ismail also spent a portion of practice working with the tight ends, working on blocking and some of the slot techniques employed by Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.

“It’s exploring options,” explained Harbaugh, “He’ll probably be kind of an inside receiver…not to say that he couldn’t go outside and go get fades and things like that, he’s so big.”

The Ravens carried six receivers on their 53-man roster last year. Barring injury, there appear to be five locks: Flowers, Bateman, Agholor, Tylan Wallace, and rookie Devontez Walker. That leaves just one spot for a talented, hungry group of young receivers that will look to make an even bigger splash come July.

The post Ravens Focus on Chemistry, Communication During Minicamp appeared first on Russell Street Report.