Maryland’s OWINGS MILLS Randy Brown, the senior special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens and a seasoned kicker, does not believe Justin Tucker is ready for the season based solely on appearances. His ears are the problem.
“If that ball sounds good coming off of his foot, then I know he’s where he’s at,” Brown said following the Ravens’ practice Thursday. “He’s striking the ball as well as he ever has.”
Seven-time Pro Bowler Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history going into his 13th season with Baltimore. He trails only Harrison Butker, who kicks field goals for the Kansas City Chiefs at an 89.1 percent clip, with a 90.2 percent conversion percentage. On September 5, the Ravens and Chiefs will play their first game of the regular season.
Tucker, who is always honing his trade, has had to spend a lot of time this summer getting used to the new kickoff regulations in the NFL. In an attempt to frustrate the return team and give the Ravens a field position advantage, he projected that by the time the season starts, he should have eight or nine kicks at his disposal. It has undoubtedly received attention during the previous four training camp weeks.
“Because of the intensity of the kickoff prior, I would try to limit Justin to maybe only kicking off once a week, because it’s an intense kick,” Brown said. “But now with this kick, he can do it a little shorter. He doesn’t have to take the full 7-8-yard run-up. We’ve devoted some time to it, but he’s such a technician, and he’s a perfectionist, which helps me being able to say, ‘OK, hey, we’re going to do 20 kicks today.’ But when we’re only talking a two-step or three-step, it takes a little bit of wear and tear off the body. So, we’ve practiced it a little bit more in this camp. In past preseasons, I haven’t been very excited for him to kick, but this year … he’s got to kind of get a feel of it, too.”
Tucker acknowledged on Thursday that he was kidding when he made the joke during his prior media availability during the Ravens’ organized team activities that he was putting in more time in the weight room and had gained a few extra pounds of muscle in case the new kickoff rules required him to be more involved as a tackler. Nevertheless, he was definitely not avoiding contact following his kickoffs in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“For me and for us, we want to dominate on special teams,” Tucker said. “We want to put our defense in the best position to succeed. We want the opposing offense to have as long a way to go as possible, and part of that might mean the kicker getting involved from time to time.”
Naturally, the Ravens would rather see their kicker participate in more traditional ways. After making 32 of his 37 – goal tries last year, Tucker qualified for the Pro Bowl for the seventh time in his career. He was only 1 for 5 on efforts from 50 yards or more, if there was a flaw. He has completed slightly over 68% of his career’s tries from 50 yards and beyond.
Earlier this week, Tucker made a 68-yard field goal during practice. The official declared that the kick was well-made. Tucker missed, the other indicated. After practice, the team saw the footage and saw that the kick was, in fact, excellent.
“I just plan on being ready to go and ready to put the ball through the uprights, any place, any time, whenever (John Harbaugh) sends me out there, it’s for a reason — to come back with three points,” Tucker said.
Rookies remain sidelined
Devontez Walker, the rookie wide receiver for the Ravens, has had a quiet first training camp. After a few strong days early in training camp, the fourth-round pick from North Carolina has struggled to gain any traction. In the Ravens’ preseason opener last week, Walker played 19 snaps and did not have a single reception on a target.
Walker’s availability for Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons is in doubt since he was not on the field on Thursday due to a rib injury that has kept him out of practice. Walker does not seem to be in danger of not making the squad, but the receiver’s window of opportunity to establish some momentum and compete for a spot early in the season is closing.
Rasheen Ali, a running back selected in the fifth round, is still out due to what Harbaugh called a stinger. Since Ali has not practiced this week, it is likely that he will not play on Saturday, when he and second-year undrafted free agent Owen Wright are vying for the No. 3 running back slot.
Sanoussi Kane, a safety selected in the seventh round, does not seem likely to participate on Saturday. Since his high hit in the third quarter of the preseason opener—which resulted in a flag—Kane has not been on the field. Harbaugh mentioned Kane’s stinger. Kane appears to be able to make an immediate impact on special teams having had a good summer. However, Kane might have benefited from more game reps given the depth of the Ravens’ defensive backfield and the increasing presence of fellow rookie safety Beau Brade.
However, seventh-round center Nick Samac and sixth-round quarterback Devin Leary, who are thought to be on the roster bubble, may find that Saturday is a crucial game.
Other thoughts, observations
• The Ravens, who are in practice for the fifth day in a row, had a shorter and slower workout on Thursday. They did not engage in any one-on-one competitions, and some of their team exercises lacked the fervor of earlier in the week. However, quarterback Lamar Jackson showed some early sharpness. He completed his first four pass attempts: a long pass to Zay Flowers, who got a stride on Marlon Humphrey as he was racing down the middle of the field, and three passes to Tylan Wallace. Following Deion Jennings, an inside linebacker, batting away a throw intended for tight end Isaiah Jackson most likely found Flowers downfield once more.
• Former wide receiver to tight end, then quarterback Qadir Ismail, who has contributed significantly to nearly every practice this summer, scored two goals on Thursday. After catching a pass from Josh Johnson, he dashed into the end zone. The crowd erupted in cheers when he proceeded to mimic a reverse slam of the ball over the upright. Ismail outran defensive back Ar’Darius Washington in the end zone corner later in practice, setting up a touchdown. Although Ismail still has a long way to go before he makes the squad considering Baltimore’s depth at tight end, he has arguably raised his profile more than any other player since training camp began nearly four weeks ago.
TD @qadir_ismaiI ❗ pic.twitter.com/y7usqeLvnF
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 15, 2024
• First-round cornerback Nate Wiggins returned to the practice field on Thursday, less than a week after missing Baltimore’s preseason opening due to a shoulder ailment that required an MRI and caused a lot of worry among the fan base. Despite having a sprained shoulder, Wiggins participated in special teams drills and saw some action in full-team exercises. Although it seems unlikely that he will play on Saturday, Wiggins’ return to the practice field indicates he will be primed to go in Week 1.
• Josh Ross, an inside linebacker who is seen as being on the roster bubble, did not practice on Thursday, which increases the likelihood that he will not play against the Falcons on Saturday. It might also put the Ravens in a pickle at inside linebacker. Roquan Smith, a star middle linebacker, is quite likely not to play in the preseason. Chris Board, an experienced inside linebacker, has not been anticipated to participate after suffering a concussion in the preseason opener. The Ravens would be down to Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison, and undrafted rookies Jennings and Yvandy Rigby at the position if Ross is unable to play as well. Since Simpson is a starter, the Ravens must exercise caution in how much of him he plays. Harrison has seen a lot of outside use as well.
• During a portion of practice, Harbaugh conferred with George Warhop, the new offensive line coach, who will need to quickly become up to speed. Following the Ravens’ announcement on Wednesday that veteran offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris has been hospitalized due to a “acute illness,” Warhop was hired. With just three weeks until the Ravens’ regular-season debut against the Chiefs, Warhop will need to quickly assimilate his forty years of coaching expertise. He needs to familiarize himself with his linemen and study Baltimore’s offense. Warhop would observe the play at the Thursday team meetings and would frequently glance down at the papers he was holding. Warhop spoke with left tackle Ronnie for a long while during a practice break.
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
