Ravens observations: Nnamdi Madubuike progressing in recovery; Marlon Humphrey leaves practice

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For the first time in over 11 months, the Ravens’ Nnamdi Madubuike got back in the line for defensive line drills Wednesday.

The two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2 and didn’t return to the field until the first day of training camp last month, when he was activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list.

But passing a physical was just the first step in a long process of returning to the field. Although Madubuike dressed with his teammates and stretched with his teammates at the start of camp, he would step aside to work with an athletic trainer once they headed to positional drills. It wasn’t long before Madubuike progressed to working individually with defensive coordinator and former defensive line coach Anthony Weaver.

Wednesday’s practice began the same as all the others. He worked with trainers at the start of practice. But, when the defensive line broke for individual drills, Madubuike lined up next to Calais Campbell and took reps.

Weaver said after practice that he doesn’t have an update on Madubuike’s return but that he’s in good spirits and good shape.

“The last time I was up here, I called him ‘Justin,’ and I apologized,” said Weaver, who was in Baltimore from 2021 to 2023, a year before Madubuike changed his name. “He said [it] was OK. I was like, ‘I have got to get used to that.’ Me and Nnamdi are in constant communication. He looks phenomenal.

“I know he wants to be just doing everything he can to be back out there, and when he is out there, I expect him to look like the Nnamdi we have grown to know and love throughout the years.”

The Ravens’ defensive line depth has been tested throughout camp, with Madubuike unavailable for team drills and John Jenkins, Travis Jones and Campbell all missing time.

The Ravens’ front, barring injury, should be close to full strength for the season opener. Whether Madubuike will be ready for Week 1 remains uncertain.

“I think he feels good,” Weaver said. “Again, I do not know that. That is a very layman’s opinion, but I just know his spirit is right. I know he is putting in the work and, when it is time, he will be ready to go.”

Offense’s first run

Much like his former boss, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said he believes you can evaluate players only on how they do things after you’ve taught them how you want them done.

That means that in his first preseason game as a play-caller, Saturday’s opener against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, Doyle will only be calling plays that Ravens players have experience executing.

“We don’t want to overcomplicate it for them,” Doyle said. “We want to make sure that they feel comfortable. A clear mind is a fast mind. And so fast mind, fast body. So [I’m] trying to give them a game plan they feel good about. But, really, we just want to see them let it rip.”

Doyle, 30, has been praised for his communication and leadership in building the Ravens’ offense. But his play-calling experience is sparse. As offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Doyle didn’t call plays. Coach Ben Johnson did, and Doyle said he was too focused on his own responsibilities to imagine in game what he would call.

But he noticed the approach Johnson took. He also has studied the tendencies of Payton, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Doyle saw how important it is to build a game plan ahead of time, so he said the Ravens will try to script as much as they can while “in the air conditioning.” He wants to leave as little to chance as possible.

“There’s a feel to everything,” Doyle said. “But I would say the more we can try to script and give our guys, like, ‘Hey, when it’s third-and-2 to 3, Lamar [Jackson], this is what I’m thinking. This is why I’m thinking this way.’”

Jackson looks for Lane

With his top two wide receivers sidelined during team drills, Jackson looked for rookie Ja’Kobi Lane early and often Wednesday.

Unofficially, Jackson finished 8-for-16 overall, including a 3-for-5 mark in seven-on-seven periods. Lane garnered six of those targets, catching two. The first came on a shallow crosser.

The second came on a long bomb, almost 40 yards downfield, after the pocket had all but collapsed on Jackson. Lane came back to find the ball as he boxed out cornerback T.J. Tampa for the deep catch. Lane also beat Tampa on a go route in one-on-ones.

Jackson looked Lane’s way on other pressured throws, though with less success. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson and safety Kyle Hamilton set the tone for the Ravens’ defensive front with a couple of disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage in the opening 11-on-11 period. Rookie outside linebacker Zion Young picked up the torch in the next period, forcing quarterback Tyler Huntley to miss a pressured throw on his first drop-back.

Jackson ended his day on a high note, extending a goal-line play with a scramble long enough to find tight end Mark Andrews for a touchdown over Tampa. Tampa had to be helped off the field after landing in discomfort but soon returned for positional and team drills.

Extra points

• Cornerback Marlon Humphrey left practice about an hour into the session after covering Lane on a deep pass that fell incomplete. Humphrey walked off the field shortly after with an athletic trainer. It’s unclear what he might have hurt. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr. also left practice early.
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Coach Jesse Minter said Sunday that Thompson was dealing with “something small.” The 29-year-old has appeared in 10 career games, starting three, and was a candidate for the Ravens’ practice squad. In a corresponding move, the team signed quarterback Austin Reed, who most recently played for the United Football League’s Dallas Renegades. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano’s share of practice snaps has grown since Thompson’s injury.
• Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins, who avoided a serious leg injury after leaving practice early on Tuesday, and defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny, who also left Tuesday’s practice early, were missing at practice. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman and running back Rasheen Ali sat out their second straight session, though Bateman was active on the sideline. Inside linebackers Carl Jones Jr. and Teddye Buchanan (PUP list) and safety Jahquez Robinson remained out. Wide receiver Zay Flowers was limited to positional work as he returns from a quadriceps contusion.
• Wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, named by general manager Eric DeCosta before camp as a player ready to take a step forward, had a quiet first week. But his productivity has ticked up, quieting any speculation about his place on the 53-man roster — for now, anyway. Wester beat rookie cornerbacks Lardarius Webb Jr. and Chandler Rivers for catches on vertical routes in one-on-ones and was active in team drills.
• Rivers and cornerback Keyon Martin teamed up for one of the best plays of camp. After wide receiver Cornelius Johnson appeared to make a catch near the sideline in seven-on-seven action, Rivers punched at the ball, dislodging it from Johnson’s chest and sending it airborne once again. The ball hung in the air just long enough for Martin to come back into the play and pick it off. Rivers was around the ball often at Duke, recording seven interceptions and three forced fumbles in 52 career games.
• Wide receiver Xavier Guillory, in his third camp with the Ravens, has made his share of highlights. On Wednesday, it was a one-handed grab in a one-on-one rep against cornerback Marquise Robinson. Guillory also beat cornerback Chidobe Awuzie with a double move for a deep catch in the period.