In mid-April, it was tough to imagine the Ravens’ practice fields filled with players for organized team activities.
In a statement shared by the NFL Players Association, the league’s players union, the Ravens had announced that, after team discussions, they had “decided to exercise our [collective bargaining agreement] right not to attend in-person voluntary offseason workouts.” They were far from alone; many other teams had already said no to in-person workouts amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At Wednesday’s voluntary practice, attendance wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t a problem, either. Coach John Harbaugh estimated that about 80 players were taking part in OTAs. On the field, the unofficial tally of active players was closer to 65.
Among those missing were established veterans like wide receiver Sammy Watkins; tight end Mark Andrews; guard Kevin Zeitler; defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe; outside linebacker Pernell McPhee; and cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Marcus Peters.