Ravens young receivers are lighting it up in practice amid Dez Bryant speculation
While free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant awaits his workout where the Baltimore Ravens are expected to host him and a handful of other veterans sometime this week, the team’s young receivers have been busy making play after play in practice since the pads came on at the start of the week.
The day the news broke that Bryant touched down in the Charm City, 2019 third-round pick Miles Boykin had his best day of practice to date. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, he caught the most balls of any receiver on Tuesday and made impressive all over the field. Heading into his second season, Boykin is expected to see a larger role in the passing game and break out in 2020.
Last year’s first-round pick, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, has been proving that not even the 20 pounds of muscle he added to his frame in the offseason, his equipment nor any of his teammates on the opposite side of the ball, including a pair of First Team All-Pro corners, can slow him down. Brown is also expected to break out in 2020 after flashing his playmaking ability and blazing speed as a rookie last season.
He’s been consistently getting behind the Ravens’ top-ranked secondary for big gains, splashy splays, and touchdowns in full team periods. His rapport with reigning league MVP, franchise quarterback and close friend Lamar Jackson has clearing gotten stronger as the two seem to be on the same page on a routine basis. Expect for the momentum that Hollywood is currently building up to carry over into his second as he takes center stage as the go-to receiver in Baltimore offense that finished as the top-scoring unit in 2019.
The two rookie receivers that the Ravens picked up in this year’s draft have been shining and making plays on both offense and on special teams. Third-round pick Devin Duvernay who was selected in the third round out of Texas has been showing off his speed and playmaking ability against the first-team defense and has emerged as a candidate for the starting returner position.
Sixth rounder James Proche out of SMU has been looking great as a returner and was having a quiet couple of days as a pass catcher before making the play of the day and arguably of camp thus far on Wednesday when he fully extended to make diving catch down the middle of the field in the rain. Veteran receiver Willie Snead made the first big play of padded camp on Monday when he climbed the ladder to bring in a deep bomb from Jackson for a score.
The Ravens’ star signal-caller likes what he is seeing from his young pass-catchers and has been especially impressed by the work ethic.
“They’re workaholics right now,” Jackson said after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s just the second day. We’re just going to have to keep stacking.”
As far as how he feels about the possibility of the team bringing in Bryant, he’s taking the wait and see approach and focusing on the guys that are already on the roster.
“We’ve got a lot of great receivers on the team right now,” Jackson said. “It’s up to the front office. I’ve been seeing Dez Bryant on Instagram and stuff like that, running his routes, competing against cornerbacks. He’s looking pretty good on social media. If the front office likes him, we’ll have to see when he gets here.”
