For one day, the Baltimore Ravens traded their training camp home in Owings Mills for College Park, bringing practice to SECU Stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland.
The historic event marked the first NFL practice ever held at SECU Stadium and the Ravens’ first fan engagement event in Prince George’s County. It also came just months after the NFL approved the organization’s expanded Home Marketing Area into Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. The counties are now shared with the Washington Commanders, giving the Ravens new opportunities to market their brand and engage fans through community programs, youth football initiatives and events like Saturday’s practice.
The practice drew a strong turnout, giving fans from across the region an opportunity to see the Ravens up close while creating an environment that closely resembled game day. From the opening warmups through the post-practice autograph session, the energy inside SECU Stadium became one of the day’s defining storylines.
Head coach Jesse Minter was among the first to acknowledge the atmosphere, opening his post-practice press conference by thanking various individuals for making the event possible.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere for our players to be able to practice in front of this type of environment. Special thanks to the University of Maryland, all of our operations people, Sashi Brown [Ravens President], Steve Bisciotti [Ravens owner] for having the vision to do this, particularly once the realignment happened.”
For Minter, however, the significance of the day extended beyond the good vibes. Saturday marked the end of the Ravens’ first week of training camp, a four-day stretch he told Double Take Sports was centered on building the team’s foundation. With padded practices beginning Monday, he said he likes where the Ravens are after the opening week.
“It’s all about our foundation, and that means a lot of things,” Minter said. “It means how we operate, our mindset, schematically. It’s a four-day foundation for us.”
The foundation, Minter explained, was already beginning to show in the way players handled a demanding few days of camp.
“There’s been really good retention,” he continued. “There has been really good execution for the most part. There’s still a ton of things to clean up, but I like where we are at four days in. Now we know what we have to build on.”
Practicing in front of a packed stadium also served a football purpose. Minter said the environment gave younger players something they cannot fully replicate on the practice fields in Owings Mills.
“For the young players, especially towards the end, it’s the closest thing we can do to simulate what it is going to be like a couple weeks from now when we are in a preseason game. I definitely love our fan base and appreciate them coming out.”
That sentiment also trickled down to the players.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout, saying the support made the afternoon feel different than a typical training camp practice.
“I haven’t been in college in nine years. It felt like I was in college again. It was a dope experience, and shout out to Flock Nation, because they showed a lot of love and support.”
Safety Malaki Starks also praised the atmosphere and noted the opportunity to practice in front of Ravens fans outside of Owings Mills made the day memorable.
“It was fun. We have the best fans in the world, so just to come out here and be able to practice in front of them, and Maryland has a great facility, for them to just be able to host us has been special.”
The festivities didn’t end after the final whistle. Players remained on the field for a post-practice autograph session with young fans, giving many children the opportunity to meet their favorite players.
The event drew several familiar faces from Maryland’s sports community as well. Former Maryland standout and current New Orleans Pelicans forward Derik Queen attended the practice and greeted fans, while current Maryland quarterback Malik Washington caught up with Jackson following practice.
As the Ravens return to the practice field on Monday for their first padded practice of training camp, Saturday’s visit to College Park leaves behind more than a historic milestone. It offered a glimpse of the organization’s growing presence in Prince George’s County while giving players an opportunity to build the foundation Minter believes will carry into the rest of training camp and beyond.