As the rain pours at training camp, Ravens defense pours it on with impressive showing

Lamar Jackson’s stomach wouldn’t cooperate. Neither would the weather in Owings Mills. But from the first series of team drills at Monday’s training camp practice, the Ravens defense did not hesitate to announce its superiority.

The offense tried an end-around to wide receiver Zay Flowers. Inside linebacker Trenton Simpson was there in the backfield. Quarterback Josh Johnson, again taking over for the ailing Jackson, looked for wide receiver Rashod Bateman, running a post route downfield. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey had it well covered. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken called run plays for running backs Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and defensive lineman Justin Madubuike got in the way.

The Ravens had one of the NFL’s best defensive cores last year, and not even an offseason rife with big-name departures — outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone among them — might have been enough to change that. With Jackson missing and the rain pouring Monday afternoon, the Ravens’ offense could barely manage a foothold in the 105-minute practice.

“They were definitely flying around today,” Henry said. “It’s definitely exciting to see them flying around, making plays this early, for sure.”

The Ravens finished with at least three interceptions, and they came from every level of their depth chart. Rookie Nate Wiggins, who was flagged for interfering with wide receiver Tylan Wallace early in practice on a deep shot, made up for the penalty late in practice. The first-round pick wrestled a pass over the middle away from wide receiver Sean Ryan before charging back with the ball, almost making a beeline for coach John Harbaugh, who was behind the play.

“Nate has been looking good, been working on technique,” Harbaugh said. “Again, it’s only his second day. He made a nice play, great technique, nice and square in man coverage there, and made the pick. It was a nice play. He actually came running right back through the middle of the field. … I was just happy that he didn’t hit me and ran around, so that was nice. But he was coming very fast.”

The Ravens’ first turnover came courtesy of safety Eddie Jackson, who at this point probably can’t name every teammate on the defense, much less every coverage in their playbook. The former Chicago Bears standout signed his one-year deal Sunday, just hours before camp opened, and a day later turned a pass from undrafted rookie quarterback Emory Jones into a would-be pick-six.

“Man, it’s crazy,” said Jackson, who’s vying for snaps as the Ravens’ third safety, behind All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. “I feel like this is probably the most deep and competitive DB room I done had since Alabama with Minkah [Fitzpatrick], Ronnie [Harrison Jr.] and Marlon [Humphrey]. Just to be back there with Kyle and Marcus and those guys being able to help me, teach me things, answer any questions I have … looking [to] them for help just learning the playbook and things like that, so it’s definitely special.”

The Ravens’ last interception was their most improbable. Undrafted rookie defensive lineman Tramel Walthour, who had two passes defended and no picks over his four years at Georgia, caught a bullet that rookie quarterback Devin Leary whistled over the line of scrimmage before nearly running it back to the end zone himself. The 283-pound Walthour punctuated his return with a stiff arm against Leary, who was able to escort him out of bounds.

It wasn’t just interceptions that made the Ravens’ defensive highlight reel. It was Hamilton perfectly timing a slot blitz to put himself in position to tackle Hill behind the line of scrimmage. It was defensive lineman Travis Jones freeing himself for another would-be tackle for loss. It was Oweh slipping past right tackle Patrick Mekari on a speed rush and fellow outside linebacker David Ojabo getting his hands up to deflect a pass. It was cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis having another strong day in coverage with a couple of well-timed pass breakups.

“We’ve got an incredible defense,” tight end Mark Andrews said Saturday after reporting for camp. “Iron sharpens iron, and we’re going to have our hands full with going against those guys, and excited about those competitions. It’s going to make us better — make our receivers better, make the tight ends better — and we’re going to be flying around. We’re going to be competitive, but at the same time, we love each other.”

Attendance

Along with Jackson, the Ravens were missing inside linebacker Yvandy Rigby, who also missed Sunday’s opener. With the re-signing of safety Daryl Worley, who played in 12 games for the Ravens last season, starting two, defensive back Tre Swilling was released.

Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee), outside linebacker Adisa Isaac (hamstring) and cornerback T.J. Tampa (sports hernia) also remain sidelined.

Stock report

• Wide receiver Rashod Bateman had some of the offense’s lone highlights during the rainstorm, maintaining his concentration for a catch as he slipped away from cornerback Brandon Stephens and fell to the grass on one play, then making a full-extension grab against cornerback Trayvon Mullen a few plays later.

• Rookie running back Rasheen Ali had one of the offense’s best pass plays. After running a wheel route against Simpson down the right sideline, he made a nice leaping grab on a pass from Leary.
• Wide receiver Nelson Agholor had a couple of impressive catches. He maintained control of one short pass despite a tomahawk chop from Humphrey and later beat Wiggins on an out-breaking route.
• Rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker, playing with other reserves in one 11-on-11 period on the field farthest away from reporters, had a step on the Ravens’ secondary on a couple of deep shots. But the fourth-round pick couldn’t bring in either attempt. Worley appeared to break up one of the long balls.
• The more the rain poured, the more ball security became a problem. Quarterbacks struggled to handle snaps cleanly, and even the Ravens’ reliable kicking battery had to abandon one field goal attempt because of a mishandled ball. “It’s part of an opportunity when you get rain like this, because you can’t create rain when it’s not raining, so we’re going to play games in rain,” Harbaugh said. “We had numerous games in rain last year, so to get that work was [a] plus for us.”