The Baltimore Ravens officially started their 2019 training camp with the veterans reporting to the Under Armour Performance Center today. While it’s generally considered one of the easier days of training camp, it’s a time when everyone has to pass Baltimore’s notoriously difficult conditioning test and physical.
First-round pick, wide receiver Marquise Brown, passed his conditioning test.
While Brown still has to be medically cleared to practice, it’s a positive sign that he’s closer to getting on the field. Brown has been rehabbing from surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his foot. The rookie missed out on the NFL scouting combine and his Pro Day after having surgery back in February. Still, the Ravens selected Brown with their No. 25 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft with the expectation he’d be ready for training camp.
Brown wasn’t the only one to pass his conditioning test on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce also passed and earned some rave reviews from fellow defensive lineman Brandon Williams.
Pierce earned the ire of coach John Harbaugh during Baltimore’s mandatory minicamp, being removed from practice for poor conditioning. At the time, Pierce chalked it up to lifting too much and not enough time working on his cardio.
“Throughout the offseason, I tend to lift more than run,” Pierce told WNSP-FM radio, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “Being a noseguard, I want to be strong or whatnot. I, honestly, just mismanaged my running a little bit.”
Pierce and Brown are both expected to be major contributors on the Ravens’ defense and offense respectively, if not outright starters. With both passing their conditioning tests, they should be able to hit the practice field quickly and earn valuable practice time to hone their abilities. With the team counting on them this year, this is some really good news to start training camp off properly.
