Baltimore Ravens Training Camp: Week 2 Stock Report

The Baltimore Ravens prepare to take the field on Thursday night and take on the New Orleans Saints. They kick off the NFL preseason with a home matchup against the high-powered Saints offense. The Ravens have two weeks of camp in the books, and some players continue to struggle, while others are rising to the occasion.

This is a huge season for Baltimore. We are only a month away from the start of the regular season, and the Ravens want to get back to the playoffs. It’s going to take a complete effort for that to happen. Which players have their stock on the rise, and which players’ stock is falling as the first game approaches?

Read on and find out.

Stock Up: C.J. Mosley, Linebacker

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Of all the great linebackers the Ravens have, second-year inside linebacker C.J. Mosley is the one many are looking the most forward to this season. After having wrist surgery in the offseason (per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun), Mosley is back to full speed and looking to build off a tremendous rookie season.

It really seems that Mosley is ready to take that next step in his second season and become a complete inside linebacker in the tradition of the Ravens. In practice on Tuesday, Ryan Mink of the Ravens official site reported that Mosley got an interception—further proof he’s healthy and ready to go.

A huge key for the Ravens defense is Mosley evolving into a three-down linebacker. During his rookie season, Mosley focused more on the big hits, and he missed opportunities to create turnovers. This season, he should be able to flip the field for Baltimore and rarely have to come off the field.

Stock Down: Breshad Perriman, Wide Receiver

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Unfortunately, the second week of training camp didn’t go any better for rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman than the first one did. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Perriman’s total number of missed practices is up to 10, and his debut will have to wait.

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#Ravens WR Breshad Perriman (knee) is missing his 10th straight practice. He hasn't suited up since the first day of camp (July 30).

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 11, 2015"

This news is disheartening on multiple levels. Clearly the Ravens went all in on Perriman in the 2015 NFL draft. The Ravens drafted the velocious wide receiver from UCF with the No. 26 overall pick to replace Torrey Smith, and now he can’t even get on the field.

Every practice he misses puts him a half step behind in terms of rhythm and chemistry with quarterback Joe Flacco. It also keeps him from developing rapport with the rest of his skill players and developing a skill set that goes with the subtle nuances of an NFL offense.

Stock Up: Darren Waller, Wide Receiver

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

With Perriman, as well as wide receiver Marlon Brown missing practices, the other wide receivers on the roster are getting a significant number of additional reps. What they do with those reps could make all the difference between making the team or not.

One wide receiver that appears to be coming along faster than expected because of the additional reps is Darren Waller. The rookie out of Georgia Tech is a physical specimen at 6’6” and 245 pounds. However, coming out of Georgia Tech, his experience with an NFL-caliber route tree is minimal, and he was only able to haul in 51 receptions in three seasons.

Nevertheless, as Brian Brower of the Russell Street Report reported, route running is one area where Waller is really coming along quickly:

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With the caveat that there was zero contact on Tuesday, Waller’s routes appeared crisper while his footwork has improved drastically since rookie minicamp. Using his 6-6, 245-lb frame, the rookie wideout is not only able to high-point the football, but is improving daily on boxing pass defenders out on a consistent basis.

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It would be invaluable for Baltimore to have this massive target on the field. Look for plenty of snaps for Waller on Thursday night.

Stock Down: Matt Schaub, Quarterback

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Veteran quarterback Matt Schaub was brought in to be that steady, reliable backup quarterback this team could count on if, by some chance, Flacco was lost to injury for a significant amount of time. This isn’t an idea anyone really likes to think about when it comes to a franchise quarterback, but it is reality.

And so with Schaub you get a guy with 90 career starts and 24,311 career passing yards. He inspires confidence and lets everyone know the job is in good hands, right? Eh, not so much. Thus far through camp, reports are that Schaub continues to struggle.

According to Joe Serpico at The Baltimore Wire, Schaub is still throwing far too many interceptions during practice, and that is cause for concern. This is somewhat out of character for Schaub, who has a 130-to-86 touchdown-to-interception ratio for his career. Nevertheless, it’s disheartening that the backup quarterback position may not be in good hands.

The best thing that could happen is the Ravens never need to find out if he can handle the pressure of a regular-season game. Let’s hope that he’s able to find his rhythm during his preseason reps and is ready to go as a backup plan when the season kicks off.

Stock Up: Steve Smith, Wide Receiver

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith makes this list, but not for anything he’s done on the field. No, Smith makes this list because he announced this week that he plans to retire at the end of the season. ESPN was one of multiple media outlets that broke the news:

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Steve Smith announces that he will retire at the end of this NFL season. This season will be his 15th in the league. pic.twitter.com/OS1tmDiSWK

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 10, 2015"

You have to admire and respect Smith for what he’s accomplished on the field, but it is taken to another level when you see a man who is able to recognize the value of life outside of football and make a choice like this.

However, when Smith was also on Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio this week, and when host Mike Golic pressed Smith about if he’d return in 2016 if he fails to reach 1,000 career receptions this year, Smith said that was something he would have to consider.

Smith currently has 915 career receptions and could be one of only 10 wide receivers in NFL history with 1,000 should he catch 85 balls this year. Regardless, Smith’s stock is way up because you know that this news won’t mean he lets up one bit this season, and he will still be one of the toughest and most productive players in the league yet again.

Unless specified, all player data and stats courtesy of NFL.com.