Baltimore Ravens: Headlines from the first day back

Here are the headlines and what we saw during the Baltimore Ravens return to the facility to start training camp.

The Baltimore Ravens don’t start their first full-team practice until tomorrow, but veterans the rest of the team reported today.

And boy do we have a lot to talk about.

Players return to the facility

A number of players were seen entering the facility today. The list included Michael Campanaro (currently on PUP list with toe injury) and Kenneth Dixon (had surgery on meniscus just yesterday).

Former players return as coaching interns

Michael Vick isn’t the only former player returning to the field as a coaching intern. The Baltimore Ravens added 6 coaching interns including two former players: Adalius Thomas and Corey Ivy.

According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, both players will be helping coach their former positions. Thomas will work with the outside linebackers and Ivy will work with the defensive backs. It helps that the Ravens have a ton of young talent at these two positions. Both Thomas and Ivy are extremely experienced from their time on the field and will provide a ton of insight to these young players.

The Ravens are a perfect organization to start a coaching career with. They are known for being a coaching factory. A ton of current and former NFL coaches have ties back to the Ravens, including Chuck Pagano, Marvin Lewis, Jim Schawrtz and Rex Ryan.

Kenneth Dixon will miss the 2017 season

Today head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that running back Kenneth Dixon will miss the entire 2017 season after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus.

Dixon was set to serve a 4-game suspension to start the season, but now that won’t even matter. This a huge blow to the 2nd year back who was poised for a breakout season.

Bobby Rainey officially signed

With the Kenneth Dixon news came the announcement of a new free agent signing. The Ravens officially announced the signing of running back Bobby Rainey.

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/890243843492384770

This won’t be Rainey’s first stint in Baltimore. He signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent back in 2012. Since then he’s bounced around between Browns, Buccaneers and most recently with the Giants.

Rainey will compete mostly with Danny Woodhead for snaps in the backfield as Terrance West is primed to handle most of the 1st and 2nd down carries. He will also compete for time returning punts and kicks. If anything, that is where we could see him most this season. The return game is an area that the Ravens struggled in last season.

Joe Flacco injures his back

The Ravens can’t seem to stay away from the injury bug. They haven’t even taken the field for practice and yet a number of players have gone down with injuries. Joe Flacco is the latest to join the club.

Adam Schefter reported that Flacco injured his back lifting and had a MRI taken.

There have been a number of reports flying around about the timetable for his return. I’ve heard everything from 1 week all the way to 6 weeks. The injury isn’t thought to be that serious, but back problems are always tricky. They aren’t something that just go away.

For now it looks like the Ravens are staying on the cautious side of things, and for good reason. The last thing they need is their starting quarterback to go down.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Potential replacements for Kenneth Dixon

Stay here with Ebony Bird as the Ravens start their first full practice tomorrow morning. We will keep you updated with any breaking news or storylines that you need to follow.