The Ravens took another step in the training camp calendar Monday, putting on the pads for the first time.
No stranger to those padded practices, Mark Andrews was targeted early and often throughout a strong day for the veteran tight end.
Andrews caught Lamar Jackson's first pass of the day for a big gain over the middle and powered through two defenders. He got past Trenton Simpson during seven-on-seven work and sprinted 50 yards to the end zone after the play was over.
Cornerback Nate Wiggins was another player who capitalized on the first day with pads. He made a few nice plays throughout the afternoon, one of which was a breakup in the end zone, as he continues to string together strong practices.
"Nate's had a couple of really good practices." Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "He's had two or three really good practices in a row, both pressing and [in] off-coverage. He's also reacting nicely to underneath throws in zone and made some nice tackles, too."
Here are other notes from Monday's practice:
- It didn't take long to notice rookie outside linebacker Mike Green. In his first padded practice, Green's motor and physicality were hard to ignore. He had what likely would've been a sack on Cooper Rush and consistently put pressure on the quarterbacks. Beyond just his work as a pass rusher, Green showed physicality in the run game as well.
- Tyler Loop and John Hoyland shared kicking duties once again. Hoyland went 4-for-4, with the longest make being 47 yards. Loop went 5-for-8 with his first misses of training camp being from 43, 39, and 45 yards – all wide left. He was good on his first 23 kicks of camp.
- While Green and the Ravens' edge rushers had their moments in the spotlight, the Ravens' interior offensive line had a good day. Other than a Broderick Washington pressure up the middle during 11-on-11 drills, the interior blockers protected the quarterbacks well.
- While offensive pass interference was called after the play, DeAndre Hopkins had the catch of the day. He hauled in a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone with Wiggins draped all over him. It was another day of Hopkins making the type of catches that fans have gotten used to seeing in his 13 years in the league.
- Derrick Henry also got in on the one-handed action, corralling a Jackson screen pass and sprinting down the sideline for a big gain.
- Undrafted rookies Chandler Martin and Lucas Scott both had some big collisions. Martin was all over the field making tackles and had a good pass breakup, though he was flagged for defensive pass interference. Scott held his own blocking Green on an 11-on-11 drill, allowing Keaton Mitchell to burst to the outside for a long run.
- Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr put a lot of heat on the offense with blitzes, and Kyle Hamilton had a nice spin move for a sack.
- Wide receiver Devontez Walker made an impressive grab, holding onto a pass over the middle that looked like it got tipped along the way.
