Today, the Baltimore Ravens host the Los Angeles Rams in Owings Mill, Maryland, for the first of two joint practices. Joint practices between teams in training camp are increasingly popular in the NFL. The New England Patriots are at the forefront of this trend, as the organization usually participates in at least one joint practice. The joint practice with the Rams is just one of two scheduled joint practices, one today and one tomorrow on Tuesday. The Ravens will also meet the Colts in Indianapolis for two joint practices on August 17 and 18, ahead of the preseason game on August 20. The Ravens and Rams will play in a preseason game this Thursday, August 9, at 7:30.
The Ravens and Rams practice is highly anticipated not only in Baltimore and Los Angeles but around the entire NFL as well. Ravens wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Rams cornerback Aqib Talib are bound to dominate the headlines. Crabtree and Talib have a long-running feud that has resulted in multiple fights and ejections from games, while Crabtree was on the Raiders and Talib was a member of the Broncos. Now, both players are with new teams, and although they will rarely meet, the feud is bound to continue. Other than the possibility of a fight, the Ravens will watch to see how the team performs against last year’s NFC West Champions.
The joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams will dominate the news today, but the Ravens also have Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda returning to practice today. Yanda passed a physical on Saturday and was activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Yanda did not practice on Sunday but has officially returned to the field on Monday. This is excellent news for the Ravens. Yanda dealt with a broken ankle last year and was nursing his shoulder after surgery this offseason. His return instantly solidifies the offensive line, paving the way for a much-improved offense in 2017.
