CAMP NOTES: Things Get Chippy, Bateman Opens Eyes

Upon arriving at training camp today, I had a few areas of focus in mind:

• Tight End
• Running Back
• Secondary Depth
• Marlon Humphrey

Tight End

A year ago, at this time, tight end was a position of strength. Today, it’s a position with a lot of questions. Mark Andrews had is daily drop. He doesn’t seem to move like he once did. Perhaps he never will. Matt Hibner looks decent enough but let’s not forget that he is a rookie and I’ve documented the “success” for rookie TEs in Ravens’ history. So far, 2026 5th round pick Josh Cuevas looks like a JAG, although he did snag a couple of red zone scores from Tyler Huntley today, both from about 3-4 yards out. Durham Smythe gives me Eric Tomlinson vibes, so I’m not expecting much from him in the passing game. Time is ticking. If there’s an acquisition via trade or free agency move in Eric DeCosta’s pocket, let’s hope that it’s an addition to the TE room.

The Tight End Factory Cranks Up Again

Running Back

Back in July I expressed some concerns about the running back room. Justice Hill is a nice third down back but not a bell cow. If The King misses time, I reasoned that the Ravens don’t have the horses to pick up the slack. I take that back – with a qualifier. Should Henry miss a game or three, judging from what I’ve seen so far at camp, I do believe that they have the depth to get by. Hill has shown well in all facets while third-year back Rasheen Ali looks new and improved. He’s running adeptly between the tackles and has demonstrated the ability to hit a second gear when he breaks contain. And then there’s rookie Adam Randall, a big-bodied back with a burst and the ability to catch balls out of the backfield.

The qualifier? You don’t replace a Derrick Henry if he misses extended time. Others will need to step up on offense. But that said, I’m good with this posse of running backs. That said, it’s unlikely that all will be up on game days.

Secondary Depth

I started out trying to isolate on Robert Longerbeam, Bilhal Kone and Chandler Rivers. Longerbeam was decent but didn’t stand out. After talking to a few of the reporters on the beat regularly, the former Rutgers Scarlet Knight from Alexandria, VA has been largely just a guy. He’s a long shot at best to make the 53. Perhaps the practice squad is the best he can hope for in Baltimore.

Kone was removed from PUP just 8 days ago after passing his physical. Kone, a sixth-round pick in 2025 out of Western Michigan, missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL and MCL during the team’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. He’s been better than Longerbeam but it still might not be enough.

Remember Tavon Young? Young was a tenacious slot corner who was one of the Ravens’ best man-cover guys. Chandler Rivers is cut from the same mold only he’s a bit feistier. He’s been a secondary standout through camp and is regularly in position to make a play on his man or better still, the ball.

While focusing on these three, it is was hard not to notice a few other DBs. Among them, T.J. Tampa, Keondre Jackson and Keyon Martin. Tampa is a long, boundary corner who has had a solid camp. On Thursday, the offense had a nice screen set up out to the right with blockers out in front of Rasheen Ali. Tampa side-stepped the lead blocker to seemingly limit the gain to about 8-10 yards. But then Tampa made a play on the ball, stripping Ali. The defense recovered. Tampa celebrated while Ali, with hands on helmet, knew he committed a cardinal sin.

Earlier, Jackson had a nice PB on a pass intended for Durham Smythe. Later on Jackson had another PB while defending LaJohntay Wester in 11-on-11s. Jackson moves well for a 6’2”, 215-pound safety. He’s solid in run support and as you know, he was a plus special teams player in 2025. And that brings me to Keyon Martin.

You’ve heard the credo, “iron sharpens iron”. Well, there was a bit of that going on with Martin on Thursday. He’s accepted the challenge of covering Zay Flowers in man situations. When asked about the matchup, Jesse Minter smiled and replied:

“If you are a slot defender, and you can cover Zay [Flowers], you can cover any slot [receiver] in the National Football League. So, for all of our guys that play in there, I mean, he is the ultimate work. He is the ultimate ‘going against the best to make yourself better’ type of mentality. So again, [Keyon Martin] is doing some really good stuff. As many times as those guys can get matched up — or anybody playing in the slot or anybody playing anywhere on Zay — that is only going to make us better.”

Earlier this summer, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who held the same position in Miami last season, had this to say about Keyon, a 2025 UDFA out of Fort Lauderdale:

“I love the kid. He’s not a big dude. When you have those guys, they always play with a chip, and he carries it. He’s having fun, he’s energetic, you can feel the juice and the energy, and people feed off that — but he wants to rip your face off. He may not say it, but when he’s out there, he competes every single snap.”

And then, reflecting on his days with the Dolphins and allowing the Fort Lauderdale native to escape, Weaver quipped, “We f’d that up, right?”

Martin makes plays every time the Ravens step upon the fields at The Under Armour Performance Center.

Marlon Humphrey

The 4-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All Pro hasn’t had a great camp. The struggles he had on the boundaries during the 2025 season have seemingly carried over to the summer of ’26. And when his cap number is taken into consideration ($26.28M) one would have to think that there’s a lot of talk going on behind the scenes in EDC’s office about Humphrey’s future. Supporting such speculation, is that fact that Marlon recently hired ⁠Athletes First agent David Mulugheta to represent him. Marlon has been without an agent for quite a while. The guess here is that the Ravens would like to keep Humphrey but certainly at a highly reduced cap number. Cutting No. 44 would provide $15.25M in cap relief.

Other Observations

Tyler Loop went 6-for-6 with his longest being from 61 yds. He also connected from 26,33,43, 48 and 53…Mark Andrews and Trey Hendrickson got into a little shoving match with Andrews being the aggressor. Later in practice, Andrews went over to Trey to hug it out. The drops coupled with the expectations, could be gnawing at Andrews…Hendrickson later went down on the same play that triggered a brief tussle between Tavius Robinson and Carson Vinson. It wasn’t clear what bothered Hendrickson. A few speculated that it was a shoulder but eventually, Trey resumed practicing…As for Vinson, he’s a regular participant so far in on-field skirmishes. The combativeness, his conditioning and the way he’s performed when filling in for Ronnie Stanley, has been solid. He could be a big asset in the event of an injury to either of the starting tackles.

It’s interesting to note that the Ravens under Jesse Minter, have been mixing in players lower on the depth chart with the 1s. Smart move really. I’ve always wondered why John Harbaugh teams didn’t do the same. Why not get your reserves some reps with the starters just in case there’s an injury?

The tackling drill for the DBs was quite interesting. Each of the DBs would take turns shedding a block and then tackling the ball carrier. The drill probably wasn’t so interesting to the defensive assistants who were asked to be tackling dummies. Said assistants are probably quite sore this morning and fretting over missing that part of their job description. You can see for yourself in the video below what I’m talking about.

Talk about coaching involvement! These assistant coaches are going to need to hit the cold tub today! pic.twitter.com/53axqgFFN1

— Lombardi Party of One (@RSRLombardi) August 6, 2026

The offense struggled early in pass protection during 11-on-11s. Broderick Washington and Tavius Robinson recorded consecutive sacks. Kyle Hamilton had a couple during the session as well…Lamar Jackson looked very sharp when he had time to set and throw but most of his throws were short to intermediate…Wester dropped a pass from Huntley. He’ll need to step up his game if he wants to make the team.

Rashod Bateman had a couple of nice catches as captured in the video below. He looks healthy and very motivated. Plays like these will boost Lamar’s willingness to look Bateman’s way…Derrick Henry has been a regular receiver during scrimmaging. Make sense, right? Why not get Henry isolated against a safety or LB in space following a high percentage pass?

Declan Doyle has an immense task on his hands of reigniting that Lamar Jackson–Rashod Bateman connection. If anybody can, he can!

The Ravens passing game could be just as potent as their rushing offense has been in recent years! pic.twitter.com/Qj6meHU727

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) August 6, 2026

Just prior to the concluding red zone session, Lamar led the 1s during a 2-minute drill. The drive stalled as time ran out when the offense rushed to the LOS to set up a clock-killing spike at the 5-yard line. They failed and Lamar’s helmet went flying.

Overall, the practice was the team’s longest session this summer and according to most observers, it was the most physical and intense so far this training camp.

The players are off today and back at it on Saturday.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/08/07/camp-notes/training-camp-padded-practice/