OWINGS MILLS — Ravens first-round rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins was back at practice on Thursday, less than a week after injuring his shoulder in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It means Wiggins should be ready to play in the NFL’s prime-time, regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 5th.
Wiggins is emerging as a key playmaker in the secondary. He flies to the ball and has effective coverage skills. The Eagles targeted him three times on the opening drive and Wiggins knocked down all three pass attempts.
“We’ve seen that in his college tape, [and] we’ve seen it out here throughout training camp,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr said. “Now, I was a little surprised they went after him early so often, but one thing that [I] recognized [really] early in pregame [was] that when the lights came on, he was ready, and that’s one thing you want to see.
“His confidence was through the roof even before the game started. So, it was great to see Nate go out there and make those plays. Those are plays that we expect him to make, but it’s good when you see him go out there and do it. I think that’s just [really] good for his confidence.”
Andrews out: One day after getting into a car accident on his way to Under Armour Performance Center, tight end Mark Andrews was held out of practice again. Andrews and the Ravens said that he did not suffer any injuries in the accident, so the move appears to be precautionary. Andrews was not going to play in the second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, so his practice reps went to other players trying to make the final roster or practice squad.
“Mark is a guy – he’s played for a long time, [and] there’s always going to be the bumps and bruises and things like that,” Harbaugh said. “He’s definitely a guy that we watch closely. We watch those guys. We watch Roquan [Smith] closely; those guys that have played for a while, we watch them closely. You’ll see some guys will come out and not have as many reps in a day – things like that. So, we’re always watching those guys closely.”
Other absences: The Ravens had a number of other players miss practice on Thursday, including wide receiver Russell Gage, cornerback Arthur Maulet, safeties Kyle Hamilton and Sanoussi Kane, running back Rasheen Ali, defensive back Christian Matthew, linebackers Chris Board and Josh Ross, center Tyler Linderbaum, and rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker, who is dealing with a side issue.
Last day for fans: Practice will be quiet in Owings Mills moving forward. Thursday’s practice was the last day that fans could attend. It was a raucous atmosphere throughout training camp with quarterback Lamar Jackson getting the loudest applause.
