Ravens WR James Proche continues to impress this summer

Guess who’s impressing in Baltimore Ravens camp again: wide receiver James Proche. Proche has put together a tremendous training camp so far and will look to extend his success in 2022.

The third-year wideout was the unheralded star of last year’s training camp but fell back on the depth chart when the regular season came around. This year, Proche has yet again broken out as a fierce leader of the Ravens’ young receiving corps, making play after play in every camp practice.

After the Ravens traded away Marquise Brown and let go of Sammy Watkins, Baltimore’s wide receiver corps has thinned, and Proche is taking advantage of each opportunity he has to shine in the spotlight.

This past week highlighted Proche’s strengths across the field as he caught nearly everything thrown his way from deep passes to red-zone touchdowns. Proche showed off his route-running abilities, in particular, when he burned a couple of defensive backs in one-on-one drills.

He’s looking like the same explosive wideout he was last camp, but he has an added year of experience and extra motivation to perform (Proche’s screensaver on his phone read, “Do your job.”)

Ravens need to see consistent performances from James Proche this summer

The 2020 sixth-rounder served as merely a backup option for Lamar Jackson last year, recording 16 catches for 202 yards. Ravens wide receiver coach Tee Martin said Proche “was caught in a numbers game” last season vying for snaps against Brown, Watkins, and Rashod Bateman.

With a clean bill of health and with much less competition on the field, Proche can develop into a reliable slot receiver for Baltimore and finally seize a starting offensive role in 2022.

His fellow receivers haven’t been enjoying nearly as impressive a camp as he has, with Devin Duvernay sidelined due to injury and Tylan Wallace struggling to make an impact.

Breakout star hopeful Rashod Bateman has looked solid, as has the ever-consistent tight end Mark Andrews, who predictably leads the team in catches.

Proche, along with the Ravens’ other unproven wideouts, will be under intense scrutiny from now until the start of the season, and Proche has to be able to handle the heat to take the next step in his career.

Catch him in action during the Ravens’ first preseason game on Thursday against the Tennessee Titans.