Getty Ravens FB Patrick Ricard underwent offseason hip surgery and will open training camp on the PUP list.
When the Baltimore Ravens reconvene for their 2023 training camp later this summer, one prominent player that won’t be on the field to start off will be starting fullback Patrick Ricard.
“He’ll be on PUP [physically unable to perform list] to start, but he should be ready shortly thereafter,” head coach John Harbaugh said on June 15, 2023. “He said he had hip surgery, so there’s a certain timeline to that one.”
The former undrafted gem is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl season in which he set career highs in receptions (11), receiving yards (74), rushing attempts (seven), rushing yards (16), and rushing first downs (five) according to Pro Football Reference all while continuing to be a dominant force in the run game as a blocker.
He was present for most of the team’s voluntary Organized Team Activities as well as their mandatory minicamp but was watching from the sidelines. In his absence, third-year pro Ben Mason has been and will likely continue to run with the first-team offense in practice. The former Michigan Wolverine was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft after Ricard had offseason surgery that offseason.
Another player that sat out minicamp due to injury was veteran outside linebacker Tyus Bowser who Harbaugh said was due to a knee issue he’s been dealing with.
“[He was] rehabbing full speed and then when he came back, his knee kind of flared up for some reason,” he said.
Unlike Ricard, he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp along with second-year cornerback Jayln Armour-Davis who was a limited participant in minicamp per Harbaugh.
Assesses Ricard’s Role & Future in New Offense
While the converted defensive lineman turned tight end/fullback hybrid was a key cog and staple in most formations in the Ravens’ offense under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, that likely won’t be the case moving forward under first-year play caller/designer Todd Monken.
Given all the upgrades that the team made at the wide receiver position this offseason, their talented trio of pass-catching tight ends, and the emphasis they intend on putting on passing the ball more, Ricard could in store for a significantly reduced role. He played a career-high 64 percent of the team’s total offensive snaps last season and hasn’t played less than 41 percent since 2019 when he made his first career Pro Bowl.
Monken addressed the topic of Ricard’s role in his scheme when addressing the media on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, and expressed a desire to keep deploying him as the devastating run blocker he has proven to be throughout his career.
“He adds a different dynamic than the other guys, again, as we just talked about – specific skillsets,” he said. “Pat has not been out here, but [from] what I’ve seen in the past, he brings a certain element to our team – a toughness element – the ability to run the football, and he’s embraced that role.”
Barring injury and outside of some short-yardage and goal-line situations, Ricard will likely spend the vast majority of his time in a more traditional fullback role as a lead blocker. Most of the pass-catching duties after starting the play inline will likely go to Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely since the two second-year tight ends are more dynamic after the catch.
‘Im excited to work with them,” Monken said. “We still haven’t put the pads on yet, but from what I’ve seen, with adding the wide receivers that we have and the tight ends that have been here, it’s an exciting time.”
Ravens’ Stock Watch Coming Out of Minicamp
While the team had some notable players miss the last portion of the offseason program for various reasons, there were a handful that was on the field for all three days and helped themselves by taking advantage of the extra reps they were given.
Here is a short list of Ravens’ players whose stock is on the rise based on reports from minicamp and ahead of training camp later this summer:
DB Ar’Darius Washington
Since 2022 first-rounder Kyle Hamilton is transitioning into more of a traditional safety role this season, there’s a nickel defender spot up for grabs. With second-year pro Pepe Williams sidelined with an injury, the third-year pro and former undrafted free agent took advantage of the extra reps he received and made several impressive plays in multiple practices including a leaping interception.
OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
The sixth-round rookie out of Oregon has gone from being viewed as a developmental project prospect to being “in the mix” to replace Ben Powers in the competition to win the starting left guard spot according to Harbaugh. He took several reps with the first-team offense at that position this week and acquitted himself nicely.
“[He has a] great attitude,” veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler said. “He’s really open-minded. Nothing is going to bug him. He’s very athletic. So, he has … The whole world is right in front of him – all the potential in the world – and I can’t wait to see what he does with it.”
WR Nelson Agholor
With 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman sidelined after receiving a cortisone shot in his surgically repaired foot and with three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. being eased back into action as part of a ramp-up, the eight-year veteran continued to have strong showings in practice. He got behind projected starting cornerback Rock Ya-Sin for a long touchdown and was active early and often in full-team drills.
OLB David Ojabo
Even though it can be hard to truly gauge trench warfare until the pads come on, the rising sophomore continued to generate plenty of positive buzz with his performance in practice. He was a consistently disruptive presence that made a habit of getting around the edge and knifing into the backfield for what would’ve been sacks, pressures, and tackles for loss.
TE Charlie Kolar
The second-year pro who missed most of his rookie season due to injury and lack of available snaps regularly displayed the flashes of promising talent he showed in the 2022 regular-season finale. He made several nice grabs including “a one-handed end zone catch that drew loud cheers from his teammates, led by All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews,” BaltimoreRavens.com’s Clifton Brown wrote Thursday.
RB Justice Hill
With projected starter J.K. Dobbins present but not practicing and Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards as a limited participant, the fifth-year veteran and special teams staple got plenty of run with the first team. He definitely helped his cause to carve out more of an offensive role by simply being available and performing well per reports.
