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Ravens training camp observations on the Lamar Jackson-Mark Andrews connection, defensive penalties and Shaun Wade

The warm start to Monday morning appeared to be matched by the Ravens offense. But as the day continued, the unit cooled off.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s first pass was broken up by cornerback Tavon Young, but then he connected on 15 consecutive throws during full-team and seven-on-seven exercises (excluding intentional spikes to stop the clock). His link to starting tight end Mark Andrews remains strong as the pair connected for gains of 15 and 20 yards over the middle.

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But during a two-minute drill, the offense marched to the 11-yard line with 11 seconds left. Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson in the end zone, which Andrews acknowledged by slapping the turf with his hand. On the ensuing play with six seconds remaining, Jackson scrambled to his right and threw the ball to wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who also dropped it in the end zone with no time remaining.

Still, coach John Harbaugh seemed pleased with the tenor of practice after giving the players Sunday off.

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“I thought they came out and they were into it,” he said. “Sometimes after a day off, it takes a little time to get going — especially when you’re a morning practice team in [training] camp. Our guys were on point from the get-go, right from the beginning with special teams. We had a good practice.”

Defense seeing yellow

It could be argued that the defense gained the upper hand Monday, but the unit also drew more penalty flags than the offense.

During the first full-team exercises, Jackson overthrew Watkins on a quick slant, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey was cited for pass interference on Watkins. On the next play, someone along the defensive line was flagged for standing offsides.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson works with quarterback coach James Urban during practice at Under Armour Performance Center on Monday.

On the next full-team drill, Jackson failed to connect with wide receiver Jaylon Moore on a back-shoulder fade, but Humphrey was tagged for pass interference again. Afterward, he requested a tablet from an assistant.

Nine snaps later, the defense was whistled again for lining up offsides.

The offense did not get away unscathed. On the first play of a seven-on-seven exercise, Jackson appeared to hit wide receiver Devin Duvernay on a go-route along the left sideline, but an official assessed a pass interference call on Duvernay for getting too handsy with Humphrey.

Red zone defender

Overshadowed by fellow cornerbacks like Humphrey, Young and Marcus Peters, Shaun Wade may have put forth his best showing during a four-on-four drill inside the red zone.

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First, he broke up a pass from quarterback Tyler Huntley that was intended for running back Gus Edwards in the back of the end zone. Then Wade prevented Watkins from catching a lob in the back left corner of the end zone.

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Wade is far from a lock for making the roster, but a few more performances like that could go a long way towards getting his name into the conversation.

Ravens cornerback Shaun Wade works out during the team's OTAs on June 8.

Extra points

>> First-round pick and rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman was limited in his first practice since returning from muscle tightness, but almost made a spectacular catch during a seven-on-seven exercise. He appeared to haul in a pass from quarterback Trace McSorley between cornerback Chris Westry and safety Ar’Darius Washington before crossing into the left sideline, but an official ruled that Bateman was out-of-bounds when he made the grab.

>> Under pressure, Jackson sidearmed a ball to running back Justice Hill, whose bobble gave inside linebacker L.J. Fort enough time to make a play for the ball. But after a brief tussle, Hill came away with the ball and turned upfield for a modest gain.

>> The defense almost came up with a turnover when defensive tackle Broderick Washington deflected a pass from McSorley to wide receiver Binjimen Victor on a slant route. But the ball was just out of the reach of safety Geno Stone.

>> The defense did get two would-be sacks with cornerback Khalil Dorsey getting to McSorley and safety DeShon Elliott pulling up in front of Jackson.

>> East Carolina rookie Jake Verity handled all five field goals, connecting from 31, 33 and 41 yards. But he slid a 46-yard attempt wide left and then banged a 38-yard try off the right upright.


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