Marlon Brown Struggles, Ravens Sign Several Players

Dec 29, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marlon Brown (14) is unable to make a catch in the end zone during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals defeated the Ravens 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to lunchtime links, where we round up all the latest news from around the web in one convenient place.  Today we have some post minicamp thoughts, more signings to report, and Marlon Brown struggles through camp.

In addition to signing cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Dominique Franks, the Ravens have also inked wide receiver Mike Willie and linebacker Austin Spitler.  Spitler is a career special teamer who appeared in 12 games last season for the Dolphins. Willie spent the last two seasons with the Chargers, but has played sparingly and spent 2012 on the practice squad.  He does have intriguing size at 6’2″ and 220 pounds, and is only 24 years old.

With mandatory minicamp coming to a close, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley provides us with his thoughts on day 3.  It was clear that Marlon Brown struggled through camp, dropping several passes.  Ray Rice looked like his old spry self, and C.J. Mosley is already running with the starters.  With Arthur Brown improving this year, linebacker promises to be a position of strength for the Ravens.

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Speaking of linebackers, the biggest surprise last season was the performance of free agent pickup Daryl Smith.  Russell Street Report shines a light on Smith and his stand out play thus far.  There’s no reason to think the wily veteran can’t have a repeat performance this year, and his leadership on the field should help the young guys tremendously.

Aaron Wilson at the Baltimore Sun reports on the new look offensive line, which is putting last year’s struggles behind them.  While there aren’t a ton of changes on the personnel front, a new scheme and some shuffling around should help solidify things a bit.  Not to mention a renewed focus on running the ball.

The end of camp means four weeks of fun in the summertime for players, and unfortunately some end up having maybe a little too much fun.  After four players have been arrested already this offseason, John Harbaugh’s message hasn’t changed.  Let’s hope that it was enough to keep players out of trouble the next few weeks.