Ravens Coaching Camp Notebook: David Ojabo Healthy, Assured And Having Enjoyable

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens linebacker David Ojabo talked about “perspective” as he recalled an offseason journey to his native Nigeria with teammates Nnamdi Madubuike and Odafe Oweh. He spoke of kids who cried with pleasure over shirts Ojabo handed out, and he contrasted what he noticed in Nigeria with the gleaming services of the staff’s Under Armour Performance Center.

“That whole trip gave me perspective [of] just how blessed we are,” stated Ojabo, who was born in Nigeria and moved to Scotland at age 7. The three Ravens have been in Nigeria for a camp sponsored by Oweh’s basis.

“Our complaints are their blessings,” Ojabo continued. “Look at us. We are at ‘The Castle,’ and we have thousand-dollar cameras and phones. They wish they could have a phone like that. Just little stuff like that gives perspective on life. We have no complaints in reality. We’re too blessed.”

Ojabo is among the extra compelling figures in Ravens coaching camp this summer season, a former second-round draft decide who has but to hit on that potential largely due to accidents.

The Ravens are working out of time with Ojabo, who is ready to grow to be a free agent subsequent spring, and he’s thought of squarely on the roster bubble in an out of doors linebacker group that basically returns everybody and drafted Mike Green within the second spherical.

Ojabo has perspective in that regard as effectively. He stated he hasn’t actually heard something a few numbers crunch and says his focus has been to “play fast, have fun and control what I can control, which is my effort and my attitude.”

After shedding nearly all his rookie season to a torn Achilles suffered throughout Michigan’s Pro Day — he was thought of a first-round decide earlier than the harm, then fell to the Ravens at No. 45 within the second spherical — Ojabo misplaced nearly all his second season to a knee harm.

Last yr, he was energetic in 13 video games and totaled 9 tackles and two sacks.

Head coach John Harbaugh got here to a vigorous protection of Ojabo earlier in coaching camp, criticizing what he known as the “narrative” within the media about Ojabo’s lack of manufacturing.

“This guy’s a highly touted player, and the narrative that has been pushed by some in this circle and the words that have been used are just insulting,” Harbaugh stated at a podium session earlier in coaching camp. “The guy busts his butt, and he’s a hell of a player, and I expect him to have a great year.”

That would counsel Ojabo will make the 53-man roster. He in all probability stands sixth in that pecking order proper now behind Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, Green and Adisa Isaac, who’s coming into simply his second season. Like Ojabo, Isaac misplaced most of his rookie season to harm.

It’s no assure the Ravens will maintain six edge rushers, and the truth that Ojabo has had no tangible position on particular groups doesn’t assist his standing. But the Ravens is perhaps detest to maneuver on from a participant they deemed as a uncooked, athletic expertise once they drafted him. And at 6-foot-4 and 252 kilos, Ojabo undoubtedly seems to be the half.

After rising up in Scotland, Ojabo moved to New Jersey to play highschool soccer, and one among his teammates at Blair Academy was Oweh.

“The thing about David Ojabo,” Harbaugh stated, “[is] it’s important to remember he’s not a guy that played a lot of football. He was late to football in high school. … He really only played one year of college football. … And then he got hurt coming out.”

Football, Harbaugh stated, is a recreation through which “the more you play it, the better feel you have for it. It’s like any sport, probably, but I think the upside is really there, and I believe that we’ll see it. I think we’ve seen it already in camp.”

In the preseason opener towards Indianapolis, Ojabo burst untouched off the sting and sacked Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Ojabo completed with two tackles in 37 snaps in that recreation.

Oweh, Van Noy and Robinson didn’t play towards Indianapolis and won’t towards Dallas on Aug. 16 within the second preseason recreation, so Ojabo ought to have loads of alternative to point out that “upside.”

Ojabo stated that is the primary offseason through which he has been absolutely wholesome, so he got here to coaching camp feeling “like myself.” He stated he’s assured, having enjoyable and “just kind of letting it rip.”

“Every snap could be your last,” Ojabo stated. “So every time you’re out there, you just have to smile, control what you can control, which is your effort. Go out there, leave it out on the field and ultimately have fun with it. It’s a kid’s game, and that’s what we’re all doing.”

NOTEBOOK

HAMILTON, MITCHELL, ALEXANDER SIT AGAIN: Safety Kyle Hamilton, working again Keaton Mitchell and cornerback Jaire Alexander all missed observe. Hamilton hasn’t been on the sphere since earlier than the joint observe with the Colts final week, whereas Mitchell has been sidelined the previous three days and Alexander missed his second straight exercise. Harbaugh deemed not one of the absences critical. Backup working again Marcus Major, who had returned from a concussion to observe two days in the past, was additionally sidelined.

While full-team drills happened on one discipline, Hamilton was performing some conditioning on a facet discipline and gave the impression to be shifting effectively.

JACKSON, HOPKINS CONNECT: Lamar Jackson accomplished simply one among his first 5 passes in full-team work, however he saved his finest for final. In the ultimate interval of the day, the Ravens simulated a two-minute drill with the offense down by 4 factors. Jackson hit Devontez Walker down the left sideline for a giant achieve, and on the following play, Jackson heaved a landing move of about 45 yards to DeAndre Hopkins.

When the second staff ran the identical drill, Cooper Rush’s deep move down the appropriate sideline was intercepted by cornerback Keondre Jackson.

HUMPHREY DENIES FLOWERS: Marlon Humphrey might need had the play of the day for the protection. During a pink zone drill, Jackson appeared to have Zay Flowers behind the top zone for a rating, however Humphrey wrestled the ball away from Flowers earlier than he might management it and the ball fell incomplete. Humphrey responded with Jaire Alexander’s sword celebration, with a number of different defensive gamers becoming a member of in. Earlier in that drill, rookie security Malaki Starks made a pleasant finish zone interception, lunging in entrance of a move meant for Keith Kirkwood.

HOLD ON, THAT’S LINDERBAUM?: The Ravens spend coaching camp envisioning all potentialities, and one could possibly be when kicker Tyler Loop will get damage throughout a recreation and holder Jordan Stout, who each punted and kicked at Penn State, should kick. Stout went 3-for-3 on brief discipline targets of roughly 28 yards, with heart Tyler Linderbaum serving as his holder.

“You’ve just got to work on the contingencies,” Harbaugh stated. “There’s a lot of different things that can happen, so you want to be prepared for every possibility.”

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