Ravens Training Camp Day 9: Lamar Jackson Sharp on First Day Back

Baltimore QB was out with COVID-19.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Lamar Jackson made his much-anticipated debut at Ravens training camp on Aug. 7 and did not show any ill-effects of COVID-19. 

He completed more than half of his 20 pass attempts on seven-on-seven and team drills but had at least four dropped passes. 

The Ravens were conservative with his reps on his first day back. 

Coach John Harbaugh was pleasantly surprised with the performance.

“I thought he looked really good. I would say he looked even better than I expected him to," Harbaugh said. "Coming off 10 days away and hadn’t started yet, COVID[-19] is tough. He had symptoms. He had a lot of symptoms. So, I think it speaks to how well he took care of himself during that time. 

"He came out and practiced well. So, [it’s a] good first step. We have, for the whole team, four to five weeks of work to get ready for the first real game. So, we’ll just try to take it one day at a time.”

The Ravens host the Saints in their first preseason game Saturday, Aug. 14. It's unclear whether Jackson will play.

Other Notes:

• The defense was dominant again. Odafe Oweh, Aaron Adeoye, and Chris Smith each did a solid job getting past offensive linemen and rushing the quarterback. All three of those players have flashed during training camp. Oweh tracked tight end Mark Andrews in the end zone and recovered the fumble. 

• Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike continues to dominate and he had another solid practice against the run. "He’s made a lot of improvements as a defensive lineman," Harbaugh said.

• Second-year cornerback Chris Westry is making a strong argument to make the final roster. He had several pass breakups again and has kept pace with all of the wide receivers. 

• Wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been mostly solid. However, he dropped a low pass against Marlon Humphrey and was clearly frustrated. Harbaugh approached him and the two had a quick conversation.

• Wide receiver Marquise Brown has been sidelined for more than a week with a hamstring injury. However, he did some light running on the sidelines. It’s his hamstring, so you just have to kind of see where it’s at – there’s a process there," Harbaugh said. "You don’t want to come back and re-injure it, which we’ve seen before. So, that’ll be the key there.”

• Harbaugh confirmed the Jimmy Smith has a low ankle sprain and will miss about two weeks of camp. Smith was carted off the field the previous day. "It was good news,” Harbaugh said.