Ravens left tackle Bryant McKinnie has been held out of practice with his teammates to work on his conditioning, leading to a round of speculation about the veteran's future in Baltimore.
But Head Coach John Harbaugh gave McKinnie a vote of confidence on Thursday.
"We want him here; there's no reason he wouldn't be here," Harbaugh said. "He has worked hard, so you try to do what's most beneficial for every guy in every situation, and it's always individualized."
Without McKinnie on the field, the Ravens inserted Michael Oher at left tackle and second-year player Jah Reid at right tackle, who was carted off the field Thursday. The Ravens also have second-round pick Kelechi Osemele (knee), who could play tackle if needed and healthy.
McKinnie told BaltimoreRavens.com back in early May that he wanted to get down to 350 pounds. At the time, he said he was at 365.
A lighter McKinnie would allow him to move and bend better, and would probably be better for his health, especially his knees.
Harbaugh was asked what McKinnie has to show the coaches in order to be on the field for the first day of training camp.
"We will leave that between us," Harbaugh said. "That's something that is an in-house type of thing right now. Bryant has done a good job, he's worked hard. It's not as simple as some of you guys want to make it. It's just a situation where we are going to do what is best for the team, what is best for Bryant."
