Ravens practice report: Mandatory minicamp opens with starters missing — and a sharp Lamar Jackson

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The Ravens’ first day of mandatory minicamp was supposed to be the best preview yet of their 2026 roster.

But with nine players missing Tuesday and others sidelined for most of practice, the wait goes on — perhaps into training camp, which opens in late July.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, defensive lineman Travis Jones and cornerback Nate Wiggins — all projected starters — were sidelined. Stanley and Bateman watched parts of practice in street clothes, while Jones left the team’s nearby weight room late in the afternoon to peek at the action.

Inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee) and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) remained sidelined as they continue their rehabilitation from season-ending injuries. Outside linebacker Adisa Isaac (elbow) and cornerback Bilhal Kone (knee), who are also returning from season-ending injuries, were limited to positional drills, while veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie had low-volume days.

Center Corey Bullock, who missed last week’s open practice, and defensive lineman John Jenkins, who missed all three open practices, were missing as well.

Coach Jesse Minter said some players were “dealing with some small things,” including illnesses, but he was confident that “everybody on our roster” would be ready for the start of training camp.

Asked whether that included Madubuike, who underwent offseason neck surgery and hasn’t practiced since hurting his neck in September, Minter said: “At some point, that’ll clear itself up. Again, we feel good about where it’s at, and so I would just leave it at that right now.”

The Ravens’ last of two minicamp practices will be held Wednesday.

Jackson impresses

Even with his top two wide receivers and starting left tackle missing, quarterback Lamar Jackson was sharp.

He went 4-for-4 in his first competitive team drill, a seven-on-seven period. He connected with tight end Mark Andrews three times, including on a second-level throw down the left sideline that Andrews snagged over safety Malaki Starks. Jackson also found wide receiver Dayton Wade for an explosive gain down the numbers after Wade appeared to bend his route away from a nearby safety.

Maybe Jackson’s best throw came in his second 11-on-11 period, when he targeted rookie wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, streaking down the right sideline. Cornerback Marquise Robinson was only a half-step behind Sarratt, but the fourth-round pick made a basket catch, got both feet in bounds, and held on through contact for a catch of about 35 to 45 yards.

Through four open practices, Sarratt has outplayed third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane, who flashed late in Tuesday’s session with the Ravens’ reserve quarterbacks.

“I do think there’ll be major opportunities for at least one of them, when you look at the number of guys that we have,” Minter said. “I think they’ve both done a really good job this spring of just learning completely new offenses from what they were used to from their respective colleges.

“They’re both really competitive. They’re both really athletic. They both catch the ball really well. They both, I think, have proven to me to be a little bit, like, really detailed for young guys and very excited about the potential of both those guys.”

Earlier in practice, Jackson also hit wide receiver Devontez Walker on a well-timed deep out along the left sideline, just squeezing a ball between two defenders. Another explosive gain came on an apparent coverage bust that left wide receiver LaJohntay Wester open over the middle of the field on a play-action drop-back.

Martindale returns

Former Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who had Minter on his staff as a defensive assistant, was back in Owings Mills to watch practice.

Martindale, who served as Michigan’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons, spoke with team owner Steve Bisciotti and Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome during practice. Minter called Martindale “one of my mentors.”

“He always empowered me,” Minter said. “We had a really awesome relationship, and our families had a really awesome relationship — still do. Anytime guys like that can come around and sort of check out what you’re doing, give you a set of eyes, it’s awesome to have Wink around. He’s a Ravens legend, by the way. ... One of the best coordinators in Ravens history.”

End zone

• The Ravens ended practice with another competitive period, this time a 100-yard sled push relay race. After the defense won, every member of the offense had to do a sprint across a nearby field.
• Kicker Tyler Loop was 5-for-5 in his one game-like period, nailing field goals from 43 and 53 yards. In a notable change from practices under former coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens had Loop and holder Ryan Eckley jog from the sideline to their spots before each kick, better simulating the conditions of game-like kicks.
• Three Ravens were fixtures in punt return drills: Wester, the incumbent starter who averaged 12.4 yards per return on 16 attempts last season and had a long of 35 yards as a rookie; Wade, who was primarily a kick returner in college; and Sarratt, who did not return punts or kicks in college.
• With Jones, Jenkins and Madubuike missing from the defensive front, the offensive line’s run blocking forged a handful of paths to the second level on zone concepts for running backs Derrick Henry, Adam Randall and Justice Hill. The Ravens’ defense had the upper hand last week.
• Running backs were also frequent targets out of the backfield, often on check-downs. Along with the Ravens’ more regular contributors, undrafted rookies Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Dontae McMillan both showed good hands in the flats on a handful of targets.
• Jackson and reserve quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson appeared to get most, if not all, of the offense’s snaps in team drills Tuesday. Undrafted rookie quarterbacks Diego Pavia and Joe Fagnano were not especially active in organized team activities, and at least one could be a roster casualty as training camp approaches.
• Wide receiver Cornelius Johnson made an impressive sliding catch just inside the left sideline to secure a ball after an out route, while wideout Xavier Guillory had a toe-tapping catch to cap off a highlight-reel connection with Thompson.
• Undrafted rookie offensive lineman Christian Hilborn, a four-year starter at Washington State who played primarily tackle, and second-year tight end Caden Prieskorn, who was undrafted out of Mississippi last season and did not appear in a game across two practice squad stints, were on hand as tryout players. So was veteran linebacker Josh Woods, a former McDonogh and Maryland standout who has 137 tackles and nearly 1,300 special teams snaps over seven NFL seasons. He played 12 games last year for the Atlanta Falcons, almost exclusively on special teams.