From the time that Kelechi Osemelearrived in Baltimore, he was thrust into a competition for a starting offensive line spot.
The second-round pick looked like a favorite to win the left guard job heading into minicamp, but then the Ravens signed veteran guard Bobbie Williams and Osemele had to sit out minicamp practices with a minor injury.
The left guard competition now looks like a much tighter race, and Osemele has no problem with that.
"That's good," Osemele said. "It just adds depth and it's good for the competition, and anything that can make the team better as a whole, that's what we need to do."
Osemele sustained the reported thigh injury during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on May 30 and has sat out all of the practices open to the media since that time. He's continued to work out at the facility and get treatment, and plans to be healthy by the time training camp opens in late July.
"Basically the focus is to get healthy for training camp," Osemele said. "I'm just working out, lifting weights, running and doing all of that stuff, just to make sure that I'm in shape."
Osemele also said that he's not too worried about what kind of impact the injury could have on him while trying to show he belongs in the starting lineup.
"Stuff like that happens in life and I just kind of keep my head up and keep working and try to get better and control what I can control," he said.
Since he hasn't been able to get back on the practice field, Osemele has shifted his focus to the work in the meeting rooms. With minicamp and football school, the rookies spent several hours a day in the classroom over the last few weeks, helping Osemele develop a better grasp on the offense.
"We're in there probably four or five hours a day, so you still get all the mental reps, which is really good at making sure we know what we're doing," Osemele said.
As he prepares for the intensity to ratchet up during training camp next month, Osemele believes that a tight competition will be an overall benefit to the offensive line and entire team.
"I feel like it's really good having all these pieces here competing," Osemele said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that deserve to make it all the way to the Super Bowl, so whatever we need to do to get that accomplished is great for the team."
