Mink: This obviously depends on Nate Wiggins' health after he left Tuesday's practice on a cart. Wiggins reportedly avoided any structural damage, but it remains to be seen how long he'll be sidelined. Marlon Humphrey also left Wednesday's practice early, though it didn't appear to be serious.
Either way, the Ravens' cornerback depth is being tested this week. Head Coach Jesse Minter rotated his cornerbacks at a high rate while coordinating the Los Angeles Chargers' defense. Four Chargers cornerbacks played at least 59% of defensive snaps, and a fifth wasn't too far behind at 37%. Wiggins may have still played close to 100% of the defensive snaps considering Minter sees him as an elite player. But the spot opposite Wiggins could be a timeshare.
As of now, I could see it being a three-person rotation between Humphrey, Chidobe Awuzie, and T.J. Tampa, who has shined at training camp. If Wiggins is sidelined for any extended time, it's likely a three-man rotation across both starting outside spots with Keyon Martin and/or rookie Chandler Rivers at nickel.
Brown: I think Lamar Jackson has enjoyed a very good camp. He's throwing the football consistently with accuracy, velocity and touch. He also looks 100% healthy and is moving extremely well, as safety Kyle Hamilton mentioned at the start of camp when he said he felt like Jackson somehow got faster.
Yes, Jackson has made some mistakes in practice, but that's part of the process when learning a new offense and competing against a talented defense. Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle isn't installing his system slowly. He's teaching fast-forward and challenging Jackson and the entire offensive unit to keep up. On the "The Lounge" podcast recently, Jackson said he loved Doyle's attention to detail and hard coaching style.
As the Ravens move through training camp, joint practices, and the preseason, the goal is to gain more comfort with the new offense while making fewer mistakes. The last two times Jackson had a new offensive coordinator, he won the MVP award that season – 2019 with Greg Roman and 2023 with Todd Monken. History suggests that Jackson will fare extremely well once we reach the regular season. I wouldn't stress too much over miscues he's making in August.
Mink: I'm guessing you're asking about the No. 3 receiver role. As of now, I'd say it's mostly a split between Lane and Walker. They could also get some of the No. 2 snaps, though I believe Rashod Bateman will have the majority.
Regardless, I don't think there's a defined top three. I think it will primarily be a four-man rotation. The more I see of Lane, the more I think he could put up 600 yards as a rookie with a handful of touchdowns. Walker could have similar production based on how many big plays the speedster hits.
Brown: Entering his 11th season, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said he did a lot of cross training during the offseason and reported to Owings Mills in excellent shape. He has plenty of experience getting his body ready for Week 1 and appears to be on the right track.
Stanley's also benefitting from two new influences, Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford and outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson. Some of the work that Ledford and Stanley have been doing together will be featured in the next episode of "Wired."
As for Hendrickson, he has given Stanley fits at times when they have lined up opposite each other during practice. But that's the kind of challenge Stanley wants. He thinks he'll benefit from being around Hendrickson daily.
"I played against Trey for the last eight years, so I kind of already knew what to expect," Stanley said. "We are only going to make each other better."
