In this film breakdown, we’ll dive …

Read more

July is winding down, and training camp is heating up for the Ravens, as two days of practice are now in the books. There’s plenty to dive into, both from an analysis standpoint, and wider philosophical ones - so, let’s get into it.

Ja’Kobi Lane is Officially #TurningHeads

In my Opening Drive writeup from a few days ago, I spoke a bit about one of my absolute favorite training camp tropes that you see year in, and year out. That would be the player who is quote “turning heads.”

This is of course the (usually skill position) guy who makes a play or two in light action to juice up the crowd, drawing a plethora of tweets from the local beat reporters who know what they just saw is sure to drive engagement. In my piece, I singled out rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane as the most likely to turn heads, so imagine my delight when I came across the following post from ESPN’s Jamison Hensley:

While it wouldn’t have taken an oracle to predict that Lane would be the guy to standout in light pads and shorts, due to A) his 6’4”, 200lb frame, and B) his ridiculous highlight reel at USC, it’s still nice to be one for one on predictions to start out camp. And let’s be real, it was a very nice catch as you’ll see below in the Ravens official video, courtesy of their X account (@Ravens):

I’m obviously being somewhat tongue-in-cheek with all of this, but it’s still nice to see a young receiver getting early reps with QB1. In the case of Lane, his aforementioned physical profile gives him a talent-based advantage towards making an early impact, and could give Declan Doyle some confidence in trying to use him the same way Ben Johnson did with the similarly built Rome Odunze (okay, maybe I am letting the hype train run a bit too far now).

But apart from the physical tools which are ample, the more encouraging sign would be that Lane feels like he belongs in the NFL already. Head Coach Jesse Minter spoke on some of that confidence from the podium after practice:

"I think Ja'Kobi is a confident player," he said. "I think a lot of the guys that are picked are confident players. The confidence has to come to do it day after day, period after period, and then the teammates gain confidence in them when they do that."

Latest Podcasts:

• Introducing Ourselves, Offseason Review, and Training Camp Preview

Latest Articles:

• The Opening Drive, 7/30: Madubuike Returns, Lamar’s New Approach, and Opening Practice Notes

• Welcome to Baltimore Film Breakdown

Latest Film Rooms:

• FILM ROOM: How Nnamdi Madubuike Transforms the Ravens Defense

• FILM ROOM: Can Ethan Pocic Lockdown the Baltimore Ravens Center Position

Read more

The first day of training camp practice is officially in the books, and we have some notes from the field, media availability, and more to dive into. While it was only a light 90 minutes of action in between the hashes, today was eventful for a few reasons, with the most obvious one being the official return of a familiar face.

Nnamdi Madubuike is Officially Back

In a very welcome bit of news from the first day of camp, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike took to the practice field after passing his physical, and coming off of the PUP list. Head Coach Jesse Minter provided an update on his status from the podium:

After a long wait, and tons of speculation about his future, it had become all but a formality in recent weeks that Madubuike would make his return. That doesn’t make it any less significant; in just one and a half games of action last season, he generated 10 total pressures, two sacks, seven hurries, and a quarterback hit.

His comeback will be huge for a Ravens defense that already stands to improve greatly upon a down 2025 where they ranked a middling 16th in defensive DVOA, and were prone to late game collapses from the first game of the season, all the way to the last. It also can’t be overstated as a massive coup for Minter’s debut season as Baltimore’s defensive playcaller, to the point of it being so obvious, it’s not worth harping on - something his teammate pointed out when speaking to the press:

"He's one of the most talented at his position in the league," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "I don't think it takes a genius to realize that we'll get better when he's on the field."

Latest Podcasts:

• Introducing Ourselves, Offseason Review, and Training Camp Preview

Latest Articles:

• Opening Drive, 7/29: Four Questions for the Opening of Training Camp

• Welcome to Baltimore Film Breakdown

Latest Film Rooms:

• FILM ROOM: How Nnamdi Madubuike Transforms the Ravens Defense

• FILM ROOM: Can Ethan Pocic Lockdown the Baltimore Ravens Center Position

Lamar Taking Cues from A Championship Culture

Read more

Subscribe now

In this film breakdown, we’ll dive into Madubu…

Read more

Another year means another installment of Ravens training camp is officially upon us. This year feels different, though. For the first time in 18 seasons, John Harbaugh won’t be patrolling the sidelines, giving dodgy answers in press conferences to injury questions, rolling out the players in T-Shirts with captions like “speed kills,” or providing any of that unique energy that we as fans had all gotten so used to. Perhaps, too used to.

Familiarity breeds contempt, and there certainly was a groundswell of that against the Ravens longtime skipper in recent years. Perhaps just as synonymous with Harbaugh as the aforementioned quirks were the patented blown leads and annual playoff disappointments, the two deciding factors in why owner Steve Bisciotti ultimately decided to show him the door. Walking through said door is one of Harbaugh’s old proteges, former Chargers’ defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, and an entirely new coaching staff that he’s brought with him to try and help get this franchise back into the mix as Super Bowl contenders.

Can they get there as early as this season? Time will tell, but the seeds to make that return to the spotlight will be need to be planted now. Here are four questions I’m burning on, which if answered in a certain way, will give me the confidence to believe they can:

What’s Lamar Jackson Going to Look Like?

This one is a bit of a layup, but bear with me. Coming off of an injury plagued season, and firmly back in the crosshairs of the national media talking heads, I’m curious how Lamar will look physically, schematically, and from a body language standpoint throughout this year’s camp.

On that last point, I’m expecting business as usual: a smiling, confident, relaxed Lamar - the guy we’ve come to love for his entertaining pressers, and great soundbites from the practice field. What accompanies all of that is more interesting to me.

Does he look fully healthy after last year, not to mention the other injuries we’ve seen affect him over the years adding up to take their toll? If so, how will he look piloting this new look offense under boy wonder OC Declan Doyle (Jackson’s fourth coordinator of his now nine year career)?

As the old adage goes, you can’t tell if a guy has it in training camp, but you can certainly tell if he doesn’t. Getting off on the right foot after a down year in a new offense will be critical for Lamar’s prospects of having a bounce back season.

Below you’ll find the latest in the BFB catalog for supporters to dig into. Click the link to become a supporter if you haven’t already, and enjoy all the latest from Browns Film Breakdown.

Latest Podcasts:

• Introducing Ourselves, Offseason Review, and Training Camp Preview

Latest Articles:

• Welcome to Baltimore Film Breakdown

Latest Film Rooms:

• FILM ROOM: Can Ethan Pocic Lockdown the Baltimore Ravens Center Position

How Much (if at all) Will We See of Nnamdi Madubuike?

This is a question that stretches back to September of last year, and it’s one that I’m very excited to finally close the book on. In fact, framing it this way as camp is about to break feels like a huge win, considering where the conversation surrounding Madubuike was as recently as some months ago.

At one point, eventual retirement seemed to be all but a formality for the 28 year-old superstar defensive tackle with a $29.87M cap hit in 2026, so the fact that we’re now discussing his return to the practice field as a matter of “when” and not “if” is a huge win for this fanbase. It’s also a huge win for this coaching staff.

Jesse Minter will be calling the defensive plays for Baltimore, which stands to reason as a big time upgrade over Zach Orr. Seeing what Minter is able to do with a defensive front that’s headlined by Madubuike, and the perennially underrated Travis Jones, is a very exciting prospect.

So, the wait begins. When will Madubuike first lace them up in camp, if he’s cleared to do so? When that time eventually comes, how heavy will his involvement be, and what will we be able to glean from it? And for the record, if the answer is “he won’t see much live action at all, and instead stay in bubble wrap until the regular season,” I see that as an acceptable outcome too.

Will We Learn Anything from a Schematic Standpoint?

Even in a year where just one coordinator has been replaced, it’s difficult to get a true handle on what to expect from the new one in August. But when two new playcallers come through the door, the hunger for just a taste of what to expect is even more present.

So, we’ll take to social media, review YouTube videos, watch livestreamed stadium practices, and tune into preseason games to try and give ourselves some kind of an idea. And, unfortunately, the answer is typically “no, you won’t learn anything schematic about your team in August.”

And nor do I realistically expect to. But, man… it will be fun when a seventh string receiver who’s on the bubble to make the team is sprung wide open for a touchdown in a preseason matchup, and I begin to fantasize about Declan Doyle doing that exact same thing when the games begin to matter.

The same goes for Jesse Minter, who will be the first play calling head coach in Ravens history. If nothing else, it will be fun to read his demeanor from the sideline as he goes through the call sheet and makes his selections, especially after the recent years of “Harbaugh face” becoming something of a meme.

Which Rookie Will Turn Heads?

It’s a rite of passage for every NFL fan to get overly excited about a young draft pick who likely won’t make a huge impact on the team, at least in year one. This is something we’re very familiar with here in Baltimore, where the draft has long been this organization’s bread and butter.

And while their track record tends to pan out in the long term more often than not, Baltimore’s front office has also had their share of misses. Or, at the very least, guys who simply don’t hit in the immediate as needed.

I have a feeling that won’t be a problem this year, at least as far as first round pick Vega Ioane is concerned. But while Vega is almost certain to draw rave reviews from the local beat, he isn’t the “turning heads” type of player that I’m talking about.

This is usually a flashier position player, a guy who looks great in shorts and pads, and treats 7-on-7 reps like it’s the Super Bowl. You know the guy - the one who gets open deep on a nine route, hauls in a moonball from a fourth string QB who will be lucky to make the team, and causes every reporter at the practice to simultaneously whip out their phones and tweet what they just saw.

Not that I’m making fun of said player, or the reporters, either. I’m just as susceptible to falling for the training camp hype trains that develop around certain players, and I’m excited for it to happen to me again. For the record, my money is on Ja’Kobi Lane this year; if he can make even one or two of the plays that showed up on his USC highlight tape, he’ll have us all hook, line, and sinker by the middle of camp.

Baltimore Film Breakdown will return soon with more fresh content.

In Episode 1, Jake and Spenny are here to explain to you guys what this show will be all about, how to get involved in the Baltimore Film Breakdown community, look back on what was a sneaky wild offseason for the Ravens, and look ahead to what we’re excited about as training camp opens.

Thanks for tuning in to us, and let us know your thoughts on the show, the Ravens upcoming season, or anything else across social media at the below handles!

Enter Ethan Pocic.

Subscribe now

The veteran center brings years of experience, versatility, and a proven track record — but the question remains: can he truly fill the massive void left at one of the most important positions on the Ravens’ offense?

In this film breakdown, we’ll dive into Pocic’s tape, examine his strengths and weaknesses, and analyze whether his skillset fits what Baltimore needs moving forward.