OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens had a couple of new additions in practice on Tuesday.
Rookie linebacker Adisa Isaac, a third-round pick from Penn State, made his debut after dealing with a hamstring injury.
In addition, the team signed veteran wide receiver Russell Gage, who was on the practice field Tuesday.
“It was an opportunity for us,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s a guy that’s proven, a proven player. [He] catches, [he’s] a tough player, physical player, great hands, [he’s] just a proven NFL veteran-type player. Just starting today, he looked good, but just starting to ramp him up a little bit. I think he got his helmet around 1 p.m. and was out there at 1:20 p.m.
“But, we got him out there and got him going a little bit, so he’ll learn the offense, and he should play [against the Eagles on] Friday.”
Last season, Isaac started all 13 games for Penn State and finished with 37 tackles (23 solo), 16 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He finished fifth in the Big Ten for fifth in sacks per game (0.6)
Isaac is also close with former Nittany Lion and current Ravens inside linebacker Odafe Oweh.
“We have to ramp him up,” Harbaugh said. “We’re going to bring him along. The good news is it’s pretty early in camp. He’s excited to be back.”
Gage, 28, spent the 2023 season on injured reserve with the Tampa Buccaneers after suffering a torn patellar tendon in training camp.
Over his five-year career, Gage has 244 receptions for 2,491 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 10.1 yards per catch. He spent the first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, who selected him in the sixth round with the 194th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft,
Gage will compete for a role in the wide receiver rotation headed by Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, and Tylan Wallace, who is also a special teams ace.
Injury updates: Ravens had three former first-round picks miss practice — wide receiver Rashod Bateman, center Tyler Linderbaum and Oweh. Harbaugh said after practice that none of the injuries was serious. Cornerback Arthur Maulet also missed practice with a knee injury.
“Arthur’s been dealing with a knee issue,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see. It’s not going to be anything season-ending, but we’re looking at it right now. We’ve got to figure out what it is.”
Catch of the day: Second-year wide receiver Sean Ryan made a juggling catch on a throw by Devin Leary, and ran down the sideline for a touchdown. Ryan has excelled in training camp, but he and the other young receivers face an uphill battle to make the final roster.
“They’re all making dents, and Sean made a nice dent there with that touchdown catch up the sideline – [it] was a great throw from Devin,” Harbaugh said. “It was well covered; it was really well covered, too. [We] just have to keep working those guys, I think they’re all working really hard. At some point in time hopefully, it shakes out in terms of a pecking order.”
Wet ball drill: Temperatures were the mid-90s, so it was the perfect time to break out the wet ball drill at the end of practice. A player must grab the football while dealing with two hoses simultaneously spraying him with water.
“We had a little drill there at the end, [a] fumble recovery drill,” Harbaugh said. “[Tight ends coach] George Godsey runs that drill [and] teaches those guys how to recover fumbles, so it’s a little wet. [They use] high-pressure hoses [and it] a lot of fun. We recovered the last one [by me], I can tell you that. The last one got recovered.”
Fired up: The Ravens tested their young players with a tackling drill on 2-point conversions. Rookie safety Sanoussi Kane pounded Qadir Ismail to knock the ball away in the end zone, setting off a raucous celebration by the defense.
“You can imagine just the opportunity to apply all the work that you’ve done and built as a foundation underneath your game as a player into a situation and a circumstance, where you’re in that moment, and you have an opportunity to make the play, and Sanoussi [Kane] came up and made a play right there,” Harbaugh said. “It’s so exciting and so emotional for those guys because they work so hard to be in that moment. So, [for] practice, we were live tackling on that play, and he came up with it.”
Washington makes another play: Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington made his second interception on consecutive days. Washington is playing well and is in line to make the final roster.
