The sky broke along with the scorching hot temperatures as Ravens training camp practice ended Thursday, but Baltimore’s defense is heating up.
The Ravens’ defense won the day and looks to be on the right trajectory for reaching the unit’s lofty goals. The leaders are leading, the veteran additions are balling out, young players look ready to make a jump, and the defensive-heavy rookie class is impressive.
“It’s not always fun to go against our defense,” Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said Thursday. “It’s a great challenge, but it’s not always fun.”
The Ravens’ offense is dealing with some missing pieces this week, as tight end Isaiah Likely suffered a foot injury that will sideline him for several weeks, and leading wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman (illness) have been sidelined.
Asked about how last year’s No. 1-ranked unit is coming along so far this offseason, Monken said they’ve had their “ups and downs.” That’s typical in camp.
Jackson had a sharp stretch of practice in which he threw a perfect deep ball to Dayton Wade over his shoulder with Chidobe Awuzie in hot pursuit. Jackson then hit Wade in stride on a deep crosser to the sideline. Jackson’s flashiest play was a no-look pass to Malik Cunningham after staring down Derrick Henry.