Sights and sounds from Day 1 of Baltimore Ravens training camp practice
After weeks of waiting, fans were camped out for entry into the Under Armour Performance practice fields for Day 1 of Ravens training camp. Baltimore enters 2025 with Super Bowl aspirations and an elite player at just about every key position.
A stout 11-man draft class will make its on-field debut, and it'll provide the perfect opportunity for Malaki Starks and Mike Green to add immediate depth and versatility to Zach Orr's revamped and elite defensive unit. That group includes Jaire Alexander, one of the two dynamic newcomers to the roster, along with DeAndre Hopkins on offense.
With the preseason now underway, we're looking at early sights and sounds from Day 1 of practice.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ravens to sign D'Ernest Johnson
The Ravens are adding to their offensive backfield. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they are signing former Browns and Jaguars running back D'Ernest Johnson. Johnson also worked out for the 49ers earlier this week, but the 49ers opted to sign Ameer Abdullah. Johnson spent the last two seasons in Jacksonville and ran 73 times for 251 yards. Johnson played his first four NFL seasons in Cleveland and had 141 carries for 378 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 53 career catches for 465 yards. Derrick Henry tops Baltimore's running back depth chart. Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali, and Marcus Major make up the rest of it.
USA Today
14 minutes ago
- USA Today
30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Ben Johnson (No. 1)
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an exciting 2025 NFL season, which features some new faces within the organization poised to get the franchise back to its winning ways. That starts with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, as well as overhauling the interior offensive line, adding pieces on defense and a potenital impactful rookie draft class. Every day from now right up through training camp, we're counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We'll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year. We've reached the end of our countdown, where it should come as no surprise that head coach Ben Johnson has snagged our top spot as the Most Important Bear of 2025. Background Position: Head coach Age: 39 Experience: 1st season 2025 cap hit: N/A 2024 recap Ben Johnson has played a key role in the Detroit Lions' turnaround from worst to first and, over the past couple of years, a perennial playoff contender. The Lions went 15-2 last season, where their only losses came to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (week 2) and Buffalo Bills (Week 14). They were a Super Bowl favorite all season, and with their high-powered offense, led by Johnson, they appeared somewhat unstoppable. But Detroit suffered a brutal divisional loss to the Washington Commanders -- where quarterback Jared Goff turned the ball over four times while the defense allowed 38 points (with seven coming via Goff's pick six. In three years as the Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson took an underperforming Goff and turned him into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Detroit's offense has been one of the best in the NFL over the past two seasons, including this season where they're averaging 33.2 points per game (1st), 409.5 yards per game (2nd), 6.2 yards per play (3rd), 263.2 passing yards per game (2nd) and 146.4 rushing yards per game (6th). Following the Lions' loss to the Commanders, Johnson had his pick of teams to choose to serve as head coach. But there was only one right team. 2025 outlook Johnson was the most-sought after candidate in this coaching cycle, where the Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars were all clamoring for his services. But, for Johnson, Chicago was always the team. Reports even indicated that he was interested in the job the previous offseason (when the Bears opted to retain Matt Eberflus). Now, with Johnson leading the charge, the expectation is Chicago will develop into a disciplined, talented football team poised to make an impact perhaps as early as 2025. The Bears do have the second-most difficult strength of schedule, but this is a team that should be able to compete with the right coaching staff now in place. No one is expecting Chicago to become a Super Bowl contender immediately, but it's not out of the question for playoff contenders to be the expectation. Big question: Can Ben Johnson get the most out of Caleb Williams in Year 1? Johnson was hired to serve as the head coach of the Bears, but he also has the incredibly important task of developing Caleb Williams into the franchise quarterback the organization believes him to be. One of the biggest draws to Chicago, for Johnson, was Williams, who he praised back during his time with the Lions. Now, Johnson has hitched his wagon to the former No. 1 overall pick and will look to elevate his game. It's something that's not going to be immediate; it will take time. But progress is the name of the game, and even at this point of training camp, the progress is already noticeable. Johnson has built this offense around Williams -- where he certainly had a hand in the overhauling of the offensive line and adding more playmakers to the roster -- and there's reason to believe the second-year QB can flash in this offense as soon as Year 1. 30 Most Important Bears of 2025 Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
C.J. Gardner-Johnson believes Texans have a 'Super Bowl-caliber' team
If anyone knows what a championship-caliber roster looks like, it's C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The newest member of the Houston Texans' secondary spent the last three seasons playing in the NFC Championship and a pair of Super Bowls. In 2022, he led the Eagles in interceptions but came up short in the big game against Patrick Mahomes in Glendale. The following season, his Detroit Lions couldn't excute a late-quarter drive against the San Francisco 49ers out west. Last season, after inking a three-year deal to return to Philadelphia, Gardner-Johnson once more impacted the Eagles' defense throughout the regular season, once again helping the NFC East franchise make it to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. The difference? Philly finished the job and then some against Mahomes in the Chiefs for their first title since 2017. All three teams were good enough to hoist up a Lombardi Trophy. So, when asked how good the Texans were entering the new season, Gardner-Johnson made it known there's a championship culture on the sidelines. 'This is a Super Bowl-caliber team,' Gardner-Johnson said of Houston's roster. 'You've got guys who go out there and show it week in, week out.' It's not shocking to hear Gardner-Johnson speak highly of his new team following a trade this offseason. When he arrived in the building back in April, his motto for the season was "championship or nothing," for the team that thought his services were needed. That's the goal for the back-to-back AFC South champs entering Year 3 under DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud. The Texans have won 10-plus games in each of the past two years, but it's accumulated to is pair of divisional round appearances against the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a touchdown-plus loss. Ryans, who played for Houston in its first-ever playoff games, knows what type of talent is needed to make it to the Super Bowl. He coached it in San Francisco before returning to the Texans in 2023, meaning he too believes Gardner-Johnson's impact is much more than just a name on the roster. "You're adding a Pro Bowl, All-Pro caliber player with a Super Bowl pedigree who's done it at a high level and brings others along with him. He's a true leader by example and by talking. He does a really great job of motivating guys, getting guys to go.' Houston's secondary could be the backbone of the roster this fall. Headlined by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans' back five have been the talk of training camp after winning most of their one-on-one battles in team drills over the past weeks. It's not just Stingley, who's locked into a long-term deal through 2030 after becoming the highest-paid cornerback this offseason. Second-year cornerback Kamari Lassiter looks more fluid in coverage and physical near the line of scrimmage. Fellow 2024 draft pick Calen Bullock has made at least one "wow" play in practice each day since pads came on last Monday. But Gardner-Johnson could be the spark to take them over the top. Jalen Pitre said one can notice a difference in both attitude and ability in practice with No. 23 joining the roster. "Just to add another guy who's gonna do the same thing is not gonna do anything but continue to uplift us and continue to motivate us. I'm thankful that he's on our team and he's going to continue to motivate, push and inspire all of us, offense and defense. He's for sure a dog."
