Various thoughts on various things, all in 50 words or less:
I would have given a nickel, maybe even a dime, to watch Lamar Jackson and some teammates meet for informal workouts near Jackson's home in Florida last week. It's not that the practices will be difference-makers, but it's been a long time since I saw a player on a field.
Chemistry with receivers is the goal for such workouts, but Jackson's continued development as a passer is also important – yes, even after his MVP season. You can't gauge his progress on Zoom or during an off-site workout, but the Ravens aren't worried about him putting in the work.
We're entering the quietest time of year for teams making moves, and it should be more quiet this year due to the effects of the coronavirus. But just saying, if the Ravens are going to sign Matthew Judon, Ronnie Stanley or Marlon Humphrey to long-term contracts, the time is now.
Even without such deals, which open salary cap space, the Ravens probably have enough room to make a small move or two, i.e., bring in a veteran or two for depth at bargain prices. The likeliest positions where it might happen are tight end and outside linebacker.
The Ravens probably aren't going to get much more bang for their buck out of any contract extension other than Patrick Ricard's, as the Pro Bowl two-way specialist is really a three-way guy. Last season, he logged 342 snaps on offense, 140 on defense and 102 on special teams. Whew.
Speaking of special teams, they probably impacted ILB Jake Ryan's release, even though it had a non-football injury designation. Chris Board has logged 649 ST snaps in two seasons. L.J. Fort logged 251 in 11 games last season. Those two, Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison constitute a full depth chart.
Interesting that Antoine Wesley also caught passes from Robert Griffin III along with rookies James Proche and Devin Duvernay in a Texas workout last week. Wesley spent 2019 on the practice squad but at 6-4 he has the size the Ravens would love to add to their wide receiver mix.
The reality is wide receiver will be a tough position for any longshot hoping to stick in Baltimore in 2020. Duvernay, Proche, Miles Boykin, Hollywood Brown and Willie Snead IV seemingly are in, barring injury, and special-teams ace Chris Moore pencils in as the No. 6 guy. Not much wiggle room.
If you want to start getting excited about the 2020 season, check Pro Football Focus' take on Calais Campbell. He has earned the highest marks of his career as a run stopper since turning 30 in 2016. He was the run stopper of the year in the NFL in 2019.
Football Outsiders, the analytics website, produced one of the deepest dives I've ever seen into quantifying draft efficiency. Findings? The Seattle Seahawks got the most return on their picks over the past decade, followed by the Ravens. Check it all out here.
