Two Ravens corners leave practice early after mistake; Chris Board ahead of Kenny Young in LB battle

Practice ended early Friday for two Ravens cornerbacks.

After Cyrus Jones Jr. (Gilman) jumped offsides near the end of practice, the third presnap penalty in a short period, coach John Harbaugh reached his breaking point. He tossed Jones.

Penalties have been a recurring problem for the Ravens through the first week-plus of training camp, but the defense has mostly avoided them. “That’s what costs you games,” Harbaugh yelled to the defensive sideline as Jones walked across the field to the team facility, tossing his helmet to the side.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, standing on the sideline, yelled something back. Harbaugh couldn’t make out the response, and he said if there was something he needed to know, the player should come over and tell him. If not, he should leave. And so Humphrey left, seemingly of his own volition.

“I’m not officiating the game,” Harbaugh told the defensive players. Afterward, he huddled with the unit on the field.

“Nice, spirited practice today,” defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said. “You saw we had a lot of fun out there. For a second, I thought it was a baseball game after seeing the guys ejected. But that’s all a part of being where we’re at in training camp.”

Martindale said he was “disappointed” by the defense’s lack of situational awareness. But he indicated there would be “no lingering effects” from the incident for Jones or Humphrey. “We go in that room,” he said, “we’re all together.”

Board ahead of Young

Chris Board, one of the Ravens’ top special teams players last season, is ahead of Kenny Young in their competition for the starting inside linebacker position next to Patrick Onwuasor, according to Martindale.

Board made the team last year as an undrafted free agent and emerged as a special teams standout, playing a team-high 356 snaps on the unit. Young, who also appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, had 51 tackles, 2½ sacks and one forced fumble.

Board’s experience at linebacker is limited — he played just 14 defensive snaps last season — but he’s edged ahead of Young with his performance in training camp, where he’s taken most of the first-team repetitions.

Board mostly played as an outside linebacker at North Dakota State, Martindale said, so he’s had to adjust to his new role inside.

"Where he's improved the most is just his instincts inside the box," Martindale said. "It takes about a year for [the game] to slow down for the rookies."

Even though Board’s in front, Martindale said the Ravens’ upcoming preseason games will help determine who wins the starting job.

Extra points

>> In addition to offensive lineman Alex Lewis, who remains out with a shoulder injury, four other Ravens did not practice Friday. Offensive lineman Randin Crecelius, wide receiver Willie Snead IV and safety Tony Jefferson were also absent. Crecelius has been out since Sunday. No reason has been given. Cornerback Jimmy Smith returned after a two-day absence.

>> Chris Moore turned in his best day of camp, and one of the strongest stretches of any wide receiver so far. In one drive during the day’s final 11-on-11 period, Moore caught three passes from quarterback Lamar Jackson, including a deep throw in tight coverage that he brought in with a one-handed, over-the-shoulder grab.

>> With Yanda not practicing, James Hurst and Orlando Brown Jr. started at right guard and right tackle, respectively, on the first-team offensive line. That cleared a path to starting left guard for Jermaine Eluemunor, but he had two early presnap penalties.