Baltimore Ravens wide receiver James Proche had to be nothing short of spectacular in training camp, and he was.
The second-year wideout has been turning heads with his impressive camp performances so far, eliciting praise from Greg Roman and John Harbaugh on his work ethic in particular.
Proche may not feature in the Ravens’ starting offensive plans, but he’s making a strong case for himself to be included on the roster as a depth piece. The former SMU product had an incredibly low drop rate in college and caught 111 passes during his final collegiate season.
He’s not afraid of a little feisty competition, either.
WR James Proche and S DeShon Elliott had a verbal sparring session after one play. Elliott is one of the more vocal #Ravens out there, but Proche wasn't fazed and caught a pass against him later in a 7-on-7 period as he continued his strong camp.
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) August 3, 2021
Breaking into this Ravens’ receiver unit is no easy feat, as Baltimore boasts one of their best wide receiver corps in recent history: A top-three threat of Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, and Rashod Bateman.
A solid No. 4 in Devin Duvernay who posted consistent numbers last season.
No. 5 goes to fourth-round pick Tylan Wallace who can make an immediate impact as a receiver and on special teams this year.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver James Proche could break into the roster in 2021.
And that means Proche will be vying for the sixth and likely last receiver spot against Miles Boykin, who hasn’t garnered nearly as much media attention as Proche has this camp.
Boykin has an extra year of experience than Proche and serves as a decent blocker, but he’s disappointed in the last two years and could even be a surprise cut this offseason.
Proche didn’t see much action in his rookie year with Baltimore and was employed mostly as a punt returner on special teams: he returned 23 punts with an average of 8.6 yards per return.
As a receiver, Proche caught just one pass for 14 yards on three targets, but that one pass he hauled in showed great route running ability. While his comparatively limited skillset pegs him more as a slot receiver, he’s focused on showing everybody what he can do.
Right now, that means getting in reps at training camp.
Proche still has to make it through preseason before he earns the coaches’ seal of confidence and that final coveted receiver roster spot, but he’s been ticking all the right boxes. He’ll get what’s coming for him.