Ravens 2024 training camp Day 10 observations: Hamilton excels in 1v1s, Rosengarten gets starting snaps

The Ravens went back to the pads today for training camp in one of the most hot and humid days this week. In an environment when tempers could flair, instead, the Ravens delivered a crisp, physical practice. Here are my latest observations.

Absences/Injury

1. WR D. Harty
2. CB T. Mullen
3. RB K. Mitchell (PUP)
4. LB A. Isaac (NFI)
5. CB T. Tampa (PUP)

Ravens offensive lineman Ben Cleveland suffered a possible head injury in practice and is being evaluated, per Head Coach John Harbaugh.

Hamilton Executes in 1v1 Drills

Two years and one day ago, safety Kyle Hamilton went viral in the worst way. During the Ravens stadium practice, he was badly beat in a one-on-one rep against wide receiver Bailey Gaither, and the clips were plastered all across Twitter. The aggregator accounts did their CAPITALIZE WORDS and HYPERBOLIC CONCLUSIONS OMG!111!!!!

It was a mess.

Today, things went differently. On the first snap of one-on-ones, Hamilton lined across from tight end Isaiah Likely. Both went at each other physically to gain ground, but Hamilton outmatched his opponent, hand-fighting and refusing to give ground. The rep ended with Likely slipping during his break in the route and no ball being thrown.

The two matched up once more and similarly, Hamilton remained steadfast in coverage, sticking to Likely. The ball was thrown this time but Likely couldn’t generate the separation and use his catch radius to make a play on the ball as it fell incomplete.

Now, is Hamilton perfect in one-on-ones? No. Nobody is—on either side of the ball. But the development of Hamilton as a cover safety has surged; he demonstrated more of the same in 11-on-11.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson looked downfield to his favorite pitch-and-catch target in Mark Andrews and slung one over the top of his offensive line to Andrews. Hamilton, in decent coverage, swung his hand up to try and make a play on the ball and knocked just enough to dislodge the ball. as both landed on the grass, the ball popped out from Andrews, between the legs of a horizontal Hamilton and into his arms for one of the most bizarre interceptions I’ve seen.

Rosengarten Gets Starting Reps

Rookies don’t tend to be gifted starting roles with the Ravens. Earning your reps is a must. Today, second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten earned reps with the starting unit as the Ravens look to solidify their best starting five offensive linemen.

“I thought Roger’s been doing well, [he] deserved a shot with the [starting unit], you saw him get a shot with the one’s today,” Harbaugh said. “So, we’ll just kind of keep working through that and let it play out.”

Rosengarten has been cutting his teeth with the second unit through the first stretch of training camp, battling it out with the likes of outside linebacker David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson and others along the edge. He’s even had reps against the starting defense when the Ravens go second-team offensive line against the starting unit. He’s been satisfactory in both, winning some, losing some and learning the whole time. And for Harbaugh and the Ravens, it was enough to be in the huddle with Lamar Jackson and Company.

Sanoussi Kane Settling In

Another safety who excelled today was rookie seventh-rounder Sanoussi Kane. He had only one rep in the one-on-ones, matching up against tight end Scotty Washington, who struggled in the drill. Washington had a half-step on Kane, who didn’t get his head around to track the incoming pass, but Washington couldn’t hold on as he tried to catch it over the top of his defender.

During three-on-three drills, Kane intercepted rookie quarterback Devin Leary’s pass to Christian Kirkwood on the final rep of the drill. In the last set of 11-on-11 drills, he managed to break up a ball thrown by Josh Johnson to Washington.

In all, Kane’s been settling in more as camp goes on. According to Harbaugh, he’s been a consistent grinder.

“Sanoussi’s another guy, just kind of a steady guy, grinding every day and then comes out today when the pads come on—it’s a physical practice—and he shows up,” Harbaugh said. “Kind of what we expected. I’m looking forward to seeing him in the games. Very steady, very consciences player.”

Malik Harrison Shines with Two Takeaways

In one of the best displays of athleticism, linebacker Malik Harrison made an interception that if happened in Madden, would induce controller-breaking frustration.

Josh Johnson looked to throw over the right side of the field and appeared to put enough air under it to get it over Harrison and to his receiver splitting the zone. Instead, Harrison leapt straight up and caught the ball above his helmet with outstretched arms.

It wouldn’t be the only takeaway of practice for Harrison as he recovered a fumble from rookie running back Rasheen Ali later in 11-on-11 drills. It appeared safety Ar’Darius Washington was the one to force the fumble, but there was no consensus among those on the sideline who delivered the punch-out.

After practice, Harbaugh gave credit to Harrison, who has been a versatile work-horse for the Ravens since being drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

“Malik is that guy, almost like [Patrick Mekari] on the other side,” Harbaugh said. “He plays inside backer—both of them—he plays outside backer in our base package, he plays defensive end also in our sub packages, he plays every special teams. Very valuable player and I see him playing all those positions during the season as it comes up. He’s done a great job. Really, really proud of Malik.”

Big Play Highlights

• Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis continues to show he’s one of their best depth cornerbacks on the roster. He was stride-for-stride with wide receiver Tylan Wallace in his one-on-one rep and was not often targeted in 11-on-11 due to solid coverage. He also broke up a ball from Johnson to wide receiver Malik Cunningham in seven-on-seven.
• Though Armour-Davis won his one-on-one rep against Wallace, the receiver got the last laugh, scoring a touchdown from a Jackson-thrown ball— even with safety Marcus Williams collided with him.
• Derrick Henry delivered a few powerful runs, be it up the middle or getting out to the edge and upfield.
• Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy got the better of Patrick Mekari in 11-on-11 with an outside move, swimming through and getting to Jackson.
• Defensive tackle Travis Jones overpowered Andrew Vorhees for a sack during 11-on-11.

False Start Laps

The Ravens instituted a rule this offseason that any player who jumps before the snap runs a lap around the field. Today, four players were flagged for the infraction.

• OL TyKeem Doss (2)
• LT Ronnie Stanley
• WR Zay Flowers
• WR Malik Cunningham