Three days after the Ravens threw for just 59 passing yards in the preseason opener, they had one of their sharpest practices through the air.
Having Lamar Jackson in the mix certainly helps.
After not playing in Thursday's preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Jackson had one of his best practices of training camp on Sunday, connecting with pass catchers all over the field for chunk plays.
Filling in for the injured Isaiah Likely as the No. 2 tight end, Charlie Kolar was on the receiving end of a few of those splash plays in Sunday's practice.
The Ravens would love to have Likely back for their Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills, but if he needs more time to recover from his foot injury, Kolar is more than equipped to handle a bigger role. The fourth-year tight end hauled in a touchdown pass from Jackson in the back of the end zone during red zone drills with Jalyn Armour-Davis draped all over him. Kolar did an excellent job of securing the contested catch while keeping his feet in bounds.
Here are more notes from Sunday's practice:
- Rashod Bateman was a frequent target of Jackson and had one of his best days of camp. Bateman beat Nate Wiggins in 1-on-1s with a stop-and-go route for a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jackson. The fifth-year wide receiver later hauled in a Jackson pass toward the sideline, catching the ball between Chidobe Awuzie and Reuben Lowery and cutting back inside for what likely would've been a long catch-and-run touchdown. Jackson also found Bateman over the middle for a sliding catch while Malaki Starks was pressuring him on a blitz.
- Wiggins got even in 1-on-1s, undercutting a slant route and breaking up a Jackson pass intended for Bateman over the middle.
- Zay Flowers showed terrific footwork for a touchdown in 11-on-11 red-zone drills. Flowers got a step on Wiggins on an out-breaking route and caught a Jackson pass while keeping two feet in bounds before somersaulting out of bounds near the front pylon. Like Bateman, Flowers was a frequent recipient of throws across the middle and down the field for big gains.
- Cooper Rush also looked crisp. The backup signal-caller fired a touchdown pass to Devontez Walker in the red zone with Keondre Jackson in tight coverage.
- Practice started a little shaky with back-to-back false start penalties from Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten that caused Jackson to spike the ball in frustration. After Rosengarten's penalty, the entire first-team offense was subbed out for the second-team unit. The rest of practice was clean from a penalty standpoint.
- Starks had an interception in 1-on-1 drills while covering Jahmal Banks down the sideline.
- Lowery had a nice day with a pass breakup and an interception on passes intended for Malik Cunningham in seven-on-seven drills.
- Tyler Loop had a near-perfect day, making 12-of-13 kicks, with his only miss being a 45-yard field goal that was wide left.
- Awuzie had a pass breakup on a deep ball intended for Bateman down the sideline.
- Safety Beau Brade had a pass deflection when he was unblocked on a safety blitz.
- Running back Keaton Mitchell, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, cornerback Jaire Alexander, and Kyle Hamilton all missed practice. Harbaugh said that none of those players are dealing with significant injuries.
