Ravens’ rookie pass-catchers dazzle in preseason win over Eagles

Jesse Minter notched his first win as the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach on Saturday night, taking down the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-7.

“It was a great experience,” Minter said after the game. “I want to give a ton of credit to our coaching staff.”

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle led his unit to 440 yards and 31 first downs, dominating with long drives throughout the game and putting up lopsided time-of-possession and play-count numbers. On the other side of the ball, Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver oversaw a near-shutout; the Eagles’ only points came with 2:24 left in the game after averaging just 4.0 yards per play and going 0-for-9 on third down.

Special teams was the Ravens’ shakiest area with second-year kicker Tyler Loop missing an early 49-yard field goal and rookie punter Ryan Eckley shanking his first pro attempt for just 31 yards. Both bounced back later in the game, but their performance did little to quell questions about the team’s specialists.

Minter also gave a “major shout-out” to undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano, who completed 22 of his 28 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Minter even downplayed the turnover, saying that he “liked the throw that he made” and crediting Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo for making a great play.

Fagnano admitted in the locker room that he should not have attempted the aggressive cross-body pass on second down in the red zone. But that was the lone mistake from an otherwise impressive NFL debut by the former UConn starter who was thrust into Baltimore’s third-string quarterback role after Skylar Thompson suddenly landed on injured reserve this week.

Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who got the start with Lamar Jackson resting, completed six of his seven passes. Five were caught by rookie pass-catchers, including a 29-yard wheel route from fourth-round tight end Matt Hibner that really got the offense going.

“I kind of blacked out after the catch,” Hibner said, adding that he may have celebrated too much with fellow rookie Ja’Kobi Lane.

Lane, a third-round pick, took his turn in the spotlight, too. He has dazzled with near-daily highlights at training camp and added to his summer tally with an 18-yard grab from Huntley early on and capping his night with a 16-yard touchdown from Fagnano.

Not to be outdone, Elijah Sarratt led the offense with six catches and 66 yards, though he did lose a fumble while trying to pick up extra yards after the catch. Sarratt said that his coaches and teammates – veterans and rookies alike – found him on the sidelines after the turnover and told him to keep his head up.

After the game, Huntley said that the Ravens’ rookie pass-catchers “came ready to play and showed their talent today.” First-round guard Vega Ioane also impressed in his NFL debut, generally holding up in pass protection including this physical rep against Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebeketie:

Ioane played just two series, but that was all Ravens fans needed to see after the team’s guard woes over the last few years. They can rest easy knowing that Jackson will be well-protected this year, at least from the right guard spot.

Center is a different story altogether. The Ravens have been searching for their new starter ever since Tyler Linderbaum left in free agency. They narrowly missed out on multiple coveted prospects during the draft and instead have turned to a hodgepodge of players to compete for the starting job. Former Colts backup Danny Pinter got the start vs. Philadelphia, followed by Jovaughn Gwyn, who came to Baltimore from Atlanta with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. Ex-Browns starter Ethan Pocic did not come into the game until the fourth quarter, though he is coming off a torn Achilles and has had significantly less time in the Ravens offense than his competition.

Saturday night’s game did little to solidify any player’s grip on the starting center job. Minter and Doyle have both said they want to give Pocic a fair shot once he is back to 100% physically and fully up to speed in the offense. Taking the field tonight is a sign of progress on both fronts, so joint practices and the team’s second preseason game in Minnesota should offer some more answers.