Rookie third-round offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. made his long-awaited practice debut Wednesday after shoulder surgery sidelined him for the summer.
Jones, who has been on the reserve/non-football injury list, now has a 21-day practice window before he must be moved to the 53-man roster or placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Head Coach John Harbaugh said Jones had "controlled" reps and didn't take all of the full-team snaps. Harbaugh watched Jones during individual drills.
"I can't wait to see the [practice] tape," Harbaugh said. "I thought he looked good. He looked healthy, he looked strong, looked like he's been training. It was his first day back into football for quite a while for him, but I thought he looked good."
Harbaugh originally said he expected Jones to return midway through training camp, but physicians were cautious with bringing him back slowly to make sure his shoulder was fully ready. Jones had surgery the week after the Combine. The Ravens drafted Jones in the third round, knowing his NFL start would be delayed, but the talent was worth the wait.
Jones is a 6-foot-5, 320-pound blocker who could play offensive tackle or guard. While he started 36 of 38 games played at right tackle for LSU, Harbaugh said Ravens coaches will look at him at both positions before deciding his future.
Jones has been in team and positional meetings but will now have a chance to get acclimated to the NFL on the field in hopes of pushing for playing time.
"It's not like he just showed up today. He's been in every meeting. He knows all the calls," Harbaugh said. "He's been working with the trainers, as far as technique and things like that. So, he's up to speed as far as what to do."
Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees have been the Ravens' starting guards with Ben Cleveland as their backup. The Ravens also signed 2022 first-round guard Kenyon Green to their practice squad Tuesday.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said at the end of training that, "at some point, he's going to get a chance to play this year."
"We invested the third-round pick on him," DeCosta said. "We're excited about him and what he brings to the table. I think he's going to be a fun player to watch.
"The one thing I can tell you about Emery is he's a physical, combative player. We saw that at the Senior Bowl. We saw it on tape. This guy loves to play. He kind of fits our mentality. I can't wait to get him out there and practice just to see what he looks like."
