Jaire Alexander hasn't been with the Ravens for long, but his teammates have embraced him quickly.
The Ravens signed the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback on Wednesday morning, and he watched the final mandatory minicamp practice from the sideline. He was greeted warmly by teammates, coaches, and Owner Steve Bisciotti, who attended practice for the second straight day.
Everyone was thrilled to have a player with Alexander's track record and talent on board.
"A quote that's never been said and probably will never be said in NFL history is, 'We got too many corners that can cover,'" Humphrey said. "I think that's a great problem to have. Really excited for that addition. The options are endless. It's going to be a fun secondary."
The Ravens now have five former first-round picks in their secondary – Alexander, Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, and rookie Malaki Starks. Hamilton has no doubt that Alexander will fit in, regardless of how he's utilized.
"Great addition," Hamilton said. "He's been one of the best in this league since he got in it. To have anybody like that, no matter what position, especially as a DB, it's super valuable."
Alexander is now reunited with Lamar Jackson, who embraced his former college teammate at Louisville after Alexander signed.
Signing Alexander in June gives him time to get acclimated before training camp in late July.
"I had a chance to sit down with him today, which was an awesome time," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "He's excited to be here, we're excited to have him. It had been kind of behind the scenes in the works for a little bit. He wanted to be here, we wanted him here. It made Lamar happy. I think it made everybody happy."
Ravens Have Plan to Help Alexander, Chidobe Awuzie Stay Healthy
A variety of injuries limited Alexander to seven games in each of the last two seasons, so keeping him healthier is a top priority.
Harbaugh said the team's medical and strength/conditioning staff would put together a plan designed to help Alexander and recently acquired cornerback Chidobe Awuzie avoid being sidelined.
"Chido's been the same thing, we've had those same kind of conversations, questions, when he came in," Harbaugh said. "It's very similar those two guys, highly talented guys that had to unfortunately deal with some injury woes. We want to get those guys healthy and rolling."
Harbaugh Gives Injury Update on Emery Jones Jr., Starting Guard Competition
Third-round offensive tackle/guard Emery Jones Jr. is working his way back from a shoulder injury that could keep him sidelined into training camp.
Harbaugh said Jones should make his practice debut "at some point in training camp" and is unlikely to be ready at the start.
Veterans Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland will compete for the starting left guard job, and Jones will look to get up to speed once he takes the field. Offensive Line Coach George Warhop has been impressed with the rookie out of LSU, even though he hasn't suited up yet.
"Emery is very smart; he's very engaged; he's plugged in," Warhop said last week. "He can't do what we're doing, but he can mimic it on his own. I've been most impressed with him, and with [fellow rookie Garrett Dellinger] in the meeting rooms. Just [their] understanding [of] what we're doing; they're very, very, very close to being really good pro players in that regard."
Harbaugh said Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele are in the lead for the starting jobs at left and right guard, respectively, and "the standard will be very high, but we expect them to play up to it."
Ravens Training Camp Starts July 22; Joint Practice Dates Announced
The Ravens' training camp schedule was announced Wednesday afternoon.
The rookies will report on Tuesday, July 15, and veterans will arrive one week later on July 22.
Baltimore is confirmed for two joint practices, hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 5 and traveling down I-95 to practice against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 21. Both joint practices are two days before the teams play their preseason games.
The Los Angeles Chargers, coached by brother Jim Harbaugh, are the only team that has their rookies arrive earlier (July 12) for training camp than Baltimore's.
