OWINGS MILLS, Md. — When you get some of the most competitive athletes on the planet together on the field practicing against another team stuff is going to happen. Mostly you’ll get some great work in. Your best versus their best.
Inevitably the juices start flowing, the intensity kicks up and you get this:
And here it is. The first fight of joint practices between the #Ravens and #Commanders.
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWMAR) August 15, 2023
Tylan Wallace vs. Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
Devin Duvernay flying in.
Laquon Treadwell with a good shot too.
Mark Andrews involved in another scirmish on the next snap. pic.twitter.com/j4Eb8g6YGb
It was the first real fight of training camp 2023 as the Ravens hosted the Washington Commanders for joint practice. Tylan Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. exchanged blows. Devin Duvernay got involved and dropped Forbes Jr. Laquon Treadwell got a shot in as well. It was the first of two straight skirmishes on two straight snaps. Mark Andrews was involved in the next one.
It's all part of the deal said head coach John Harbaugh.
“We had a couple dust-ups, which you don’t want to see but it’s not really unexpected,” said Harbaugh. “I thought they got handled pretty quickly. We called the guys up there on our offensive field and talked to our guys. [Commanders head coach] Ron [Rivera] talked to their guys and after that it was calmed down. So, I felt good about that.”
“Practices can always get chirpy but I think that it was really good that it didn’t turn into a big gigantic brawl,” added cornerback Marlon Humphrey. “It just got heated then kind of died down, which shows a lot of maturity on both teams.”
These joint practices are crucial for the all involved, especially the Ravens starters. Without many or any preseason game snaps these are the most important reps they’ll take all camp.
Lamar Jackson worked on that chemistry with new guys Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers and good old reliable Mark Andrews.
“Those guys are just flying around, making spectacular catches,” said Jackson. “As you can see, I know you guys have seen it, Zay is very shifty. Odell and Mark are household names.”
The work continues on Wednesday with one more joint practice before the two teams take the field for preseason game No. 2 at FedEx Field on Monday.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
