BALTIMORE — Playing the first of two preseason games at M&T Bank Stadium this month, the Ravens welcome the Detroit Lions to town as the two teams will meet for the third time ever in the preseason.

Baltimore owns a 2-0 advantage over the Lions in the preseason and is 2-1 in the regular-season series, with the most recent matchup taking place in 2009 when the Ravens won by a staggering 48-3 margin. This is the first preseason meeting between the teams since 2004.

There were no real surprises among the Baltimore inactives though many thought offensive lineman Jah Reid might get his first action of the preseason. Wide receiver Torrey Smith (ankle), cornerback Jimmy Smith (back), linebacker Courtney Upshaw (shoulder), and running back Bernard Pierce (hamstring) are all active, but it remains to be seen how much they’ll play.

(Update 7:30 p.m. — It appears that Torrey Smith will not play as he’s dressed in street clothes as the wide receivers go through pre-game warmups.)

Here are tonight’s inactives:

Baltimore
WR David Reed
LB Josh Bynes
LB Darryl Blackstock
LB Terrell Suggs
OT Jah Reid
TE Ed Dickson
WR Devin Goda
TE Dennis Pitta
DT Ryan McBean

Detroit
RB Mikel Leshoure
S Louis Delmas
CB Chris Greenwood
CB Drew Coleman
RB Jahvid Best
OT Jonathan Scott
DT Sammie Hill
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch

Follow WNST on Twitter HERE throughout the evening as I bring the latest updates and analysis from M&T Bank. Stadium.

(Updated: 5:40 p.m.)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Returning to the practice field after their 31-17 win in the preseason opener over Atlanta, the Ravens saw five players return to action but were also dealing with several news absences from injuries sustained against the Falcons.

Center Matt Birk (back), cornerback Jimmy Smith (back), defensive end Arthur Jones (hip), running back Bernard Pierce (hamstring), and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe all returned to practice on Saturday as the Ravens begin a new week of practice leading into their first preseason home game against Detroit on Friday.

Birk hadn’t practiced since July 28 after dealing with back spasms.

“It’s good to get those guys back,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s very important. Those guys were out here practicing, and we need to have those guys.”

Despite the good news of several key players returning, the Ravens also faced the fallout from Thursday’s game as tight end Ed Dickson (sprained right shoulder), defensive lineman Ryan McBean (broken left ankle), wide receivers Torrey Smith (sprained ankle) and Logan Payne (hip), and cornerbacks Asa Jackson (hamstring) and Chykie Brown (hamstring) did not practice.

All aforementioned players were injured against the Falcons, with McBean’s injury potentially sidelining him for the rest of the season. Dickson — who came out to watch practice in street clothes with his right arm in a sling — is expected to miss a few weeks but will be ready in time for the Ravens’ season opener on Sept. 10. Smith’s injury is not considered to be serious.

Harbaugh would not disclose any updates on the severity of McBean’s fracture or confirm whether it would be a season-ending injury.

“It’s already been reported, so there’s no reason for me to comment any further,” Harbaugh said. “You guys already got what you need.”

Others not practicing included linebackers Josh Bynes (back) and Darryl Blackstock (groin), and wide receivers Tandon Doss (hamstring) and Patrick Williams (leg). Wide receiver David Reed (knee) and offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf) remain on the active physically unable to perform list while linebacker Terrell Suggs continues to rehab his surgically-repaired Achilles tendon while on the non-football injury list.

Rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw (shoulder) was practicing again after sitting out Thursday’s game. He practiced for the first time since July 28 on Tuesday but was held out of the game due to a lack of practice reps.

The preseason did not start well for the Baltimore Ravens.  The starting offense, defense, and special teams units struggled throughout their time on the field.  That said, we still need to keep in mind that this is the first preseason game and the Ravens still have three more weeks to get their act together.

Although it is the preseason, there were still some obvious concerns on the team.  Scratch that, there were many issues with the team.  Going into the 2012 season, many Ravens fans are counting on the secondary to make up for the loss of Terrell Suggs.  The secondary should be one of the team’s biggest strengths but it looked like a weakness last night.  Maybe the loss of Terrell Suggs will prove to be much more significant that we thought seeing as Matt Ryan was able to stand in the pocket with little to no pressure.  Still, Carry Williams and Lardarius Webb did not look like themselves.  Williams was attacked the entire first quarter and was beaten badly by Julio Jones on more than one occasion.

If Jimmy Smith can return from injury, he should help the secondary.  If Smith had played last night, I think he would have played well against Jones.  Smith is the only corner on the Ravens roster that has the physical attributes to cover receivers like Julio Jones.  Hopefully, Jimmy Smith can return next week when the Lions come to Baltimore.  After all, Calvin Johnson is far superior to Julio Jones and it would be a great test for Jimmy Smith.

Matt Ryan had all day to throw the football.  That said, the loss of Terrell Suggs might be more significant than anticipated.  Paul Kruger, Albert McClellan, and Sergio Kindle struggled to apply pressure throughout their time on the field.  The return of Courtney UpShaw should help this defense get pressure on the quarterback.  Although UpShaw is more of a run stuffer, he also has pass rush ability.  If Kruger, Kindle, and McClellan continue to struggle when it comes to rushing the passer, UpShaw might be asked to play a bigger role than he expected.

Now to the offensive line…where do I start?  The best possible solution for the offensive line is to have Bryant McKinnie return to the first team offense.  Michael Oher looked good at left tackle but McKinnie is just a better option.  Having McKinnie and Oher at tackle gives the Ravens one of the better tackle combinations in the league.  It also lets players like Jah Reid and Kelochi Osemele develop until they are asked to play a bigger role in the years to come.

The interior of the offensive line had a bad night.  Marshal Yanda looked good but Bobby Williams and Gino Gradkowski struggled.  I recognize Gradkowski is a rookie and I will give him a pass for now.  He struggled early but looked good as the game went on.  Matt Birk’s return should help the line as a whole and should also help in Gradkowski’s development.  Bobby Williams did not play very well either.  Williams is a run blocking nightmare for defensive lineman but Williams looked sluggish when pulling.  If Bobby Williams continues to struggle, Kelechi Osemele could start at left guard.  Osemele has shown some great run blocking ability in camp thus far and will be a valuable starter one day for the Ravens.

Bobby Rainey was a bright spot for the Ravens last night.  Rainey got a lot of playing time at punt returner and was solid, but not great.  Rainey shined when it came to catching the ball out of the backfield and running between the tackles.  Rainey is almost a clone of Ray Rice.  He is about the same size, has great speed and acceleration, and for his size, he is a surprisingly powerful runner.

Rainey’s biggest play came in the fourth quarter.  Rainey caught a screen pass from Curtis Painter and broke several tackles on an eighteen yard touchdown.  If Rainey can continue to play like he did in Atlanta, it will be hard to cut him.  Rainey is getting some help from Damien Berry and Anthony Allen, both of whom are competing to back up Ray Rice and make the roster.  Both Berry and Allen struggled last night with Berry having the more impressive night of the two.

Throughout this blog I have been down on some of the players and I think it was well deserved.  But, I also recognize that its the preseason and Ravens fans should not panic unless the Ravens first team units continue to struggle.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As if the Ravens weren’t banged up enough over the first 10 days of training camp, cornerback Jimmy Smith became the latest addition to the list of walking wounded during Thursday’s practice.

Smith was covering wide receiver Jacoby Jones in a team drill when he went down in pain. It initially appeared to be some form of a leg injury, but defensive coordinator Dean Pees said after practice the second-year corner may have been dealing with a back injury.

“I don’t know,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “I’d have to go in and find out afterwards. He just went down. I know he grabbed his back. That’s all I saw. I don’t even know any extent of it.”

The 2011 first-round pick missed four games last season with a left ankle injury he suffered in the season-opening win over Pittsburgh. The injury prevented Smith from firmly establishing himself in the secondary as Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb emerged as the starting cornerbacks.

The Colorado product left Saturday’s practice early due to a shoulder bruise but returned to the practice field on Monday after the team was given the day off on Sunday.

With the Ravens beginning their first full week of training camp after Sunday’s day off, here are five early observations from the first few practices of the summer in Owings Mills.

1. Even if the Ravens are satisfied with Bryant McKinnie’s weight and conditioning, this story isn’t going to go away as quickly as the tackle would like.

His claim that he hurt his back in a fall may explain why his chiropractor contacted the team to let them know he wouldn’t be reporting to training camp on time, but coach John Harbaugh’s comments earlier this week suggest the Ravens are having a difficult time believing the explanation. While McKinnie may have felt embarrassed — especially knowing how closely his conditioning is being scrutinized — failing to talk to the organization himself makes it look like he’s hiding more than a minor back injury.

Plenty of speculation exists regarding McKinnie’s financial problems and how he mysteriously went silent on Twitter a week ago, but you have to wonder how much the Ravens are willing to put up with considering they were already uneasy about his conditioning earlier this offseason. Harbaugh’s hardline stance about Michael Oher being the left tackle until further notice is a loud message that McKinnie is on shaky footing with the organization.

Unlike the way in which Ed Reed’s arrival at camp immediately squashed the discussion that buzzed around the All-Pro safety for weeks, McKinnie won’t just waltz back into camp with all essentially being forgotten. What will help the 32-year-old, however, is the lack of a known commodity at the right tackle position when Oher is on the left side.

Even so, McKinnie has plenty to prove before the Ravens can entrust him with the left tackle job for the second year in a row.

2. It’s remarkable how much better the cornerback situation is from a year ago at this time.

More attention has been paid to outside linebacker and the battles at defensive end and on the offensive line, but the most entertaining competition of the preseason will be between Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith for the starting cornerback job opposite Lardarius Webb. Unlike most competitions where you’re typically desperate to see one player emerge as a viable starter, this is a win-win situation where both players are capable of holding down starting jobs in the NFL.

Smith may have gained a slight upper hand during organized team activities as Williams continued to recovery from offseason hip surgery, but the 2011 first-round pick was dinged up during Saturday’s practice to potentially even the playing field once again. It’s also important to remember Williams played with a torn labrum last season, which is remarkable to think about when you consider how critical hip movement is to the back pedal and changing directions.

While the Ravens certainly envisioned Smith as a starter when they made him their top selection two Aprils ago, they really cannot go wrong with either player as the starter, and the other will still receive plenty of playing time. Williams and Smith will again line up at the cornerback spots with Webb sliding inside to the nickel position to match up with slot receivers in passing situations.

Special teams ace Corey Graham has also been very impressive in coverage and looks like a solid bet to be the team’s dime back, which would push Danny Gorrer down the depth chart after he looked solid in limited opportunities last season. It’s quite a difference from a year ago when the Ravens were depending on banged-up veterans such as Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr to play significant roles before Webb and Williams emerged as starters out of training camp.

3. Don’t sleep on Albert McClellan as the Ravens sort out their outside linebacker situation.

While it’s assumed that Paul Kruger and Courtney Upshaw will line up as the starting outside backers against the Cincinnati Bengals to open the regular season, McClellan has received plenty of reps with the defense over the first few days of practice. His versatility to line up as a defensive end as well as play multiple linebacker positions makes him a valuable asset, and that’s not even taking into account that the 26-year-old led the team in special teams tackles last season.

The start to McClellan’s career hasn’t been dramatically different from that of inside linebacker Jameel McClain, though the former spent his first professional season on the practice squad. McClain also went undrafted and shined on special teams before eventually carving out a bigger defensive role for himself.

Upshaw clearly possesses more upside, but the rookie’s inexperience and need to get leaner may open the door for more opportunities for McClellan, who surprised everyone with his strong play filling in at inside linebacker when Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe were sidelined against the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night.

4. There isn’t a wide receiver with better hands on the team than Tandon Doss.

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The Baltimore Ravens need Ed Reed.  Reed is widely considered the best ball-hawk the NFL has seen in sometime and his numbers reinforce that fact.

But, Reed has been contemplating retirement for a few years now mainly due to a neck injury.

In a recent interview, Reed said he missed mini-camps because he wanted to spend more time with his family.  This might be a reason why Ed Reed has been considering retirement recently.  The NFL commands a vast majority of each player’s time and all of them miss significant family events and holidays.

Now that Reed is committed to playing football, the Ravens secondary is going to be one of the team’s biggest strengths.

Lardarius Webb had a breakout performance last season and is the team’s best cornerback since Chris McAlister.  Webb should be one of the best cornerbacks in the league for years to come.

Lardarius Webb isn’t the only cornerback on the roster that teams should be scared of.  Jimmy Smith has the ability to be one of the best corners in the NFL and Carry Williams could start for a lot of teams.  The corners are special and Ed Reed makes them even better.

Ed Reed no longer has the pressure of making up for mistakes the cornerbacks make because there won’t be as many this season.  Reed will be able to play more freely and make plays.

The secondary will struggle at times because of the loss of Terrell Suggs.  Without Suggs, the secondary will be forced to cover for a longer amount of time.  While this sounds like a bad position to be in, the Ravens can counteract this with Jimmy Smith and Carry Williams.  Smith and Williams specialize in press coverage and can disrupt the timing of passing routes.  Thus, the Ravens young outside linebackers and defensive linemen more time to get to the quarterback.

If the Ravens put Smith and Williams on the outside, they can disrupt routes of two wide receivers on each play.  Webb is then free to play off coverage where he is more effective because of his ability to recognize routes and jump them to make a play.

Bernard Pollard is another player to keep an eye on this season.  Pollard is known for his hitting ability but is also dependable in coverage.  If Pollard had better hands, he could have had about three or four more interceptions last season.  I think Pollard is one of the better safeties in the league but is never in that conversation because of his years in Houston where he had little to no help on defense.

The only question mark for the Ravens secondary is the fourth cornerback spot.  Players like Asa Jackson, Chykie Brown, and Corey Graham to compete for the fourth cornerback spot.  Graham has the early edge because of his experience but Brown impressed a lot of coaches in training camp last year.

(Updated Thursday 12:15 p.m.)

With 18 players absent from Wednesday’s voluntary organized team activity, it was difficult to draw many conclusions from what we saw on the practice field in Owings Mills.

In regards to the decline in attendance from last week when only seven players were absent, head coach John Harbaugh and the rest of the staff would love to see all players present, but the union fought hard for a shorter off-season program and reform in the structure of OTAs. After several veterans blew the whistle on Harbaugh and the Ravens a couple years ago, the head coach was very careful to make sure the OTA schedule was in compliance with the new rules in the collective bargaining agreement.

It’s not surprising to see veterans such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed skipping the voluntary workouts — these activities are designed for learning more than anything — but I didn’t expect to see second-year players such as Jimmy Smith, Jah Reid, and Pernell McPhee missing from the field during Wednesday’s workout. Considering Reid and Smith are competing for starting jobs and McPhee is expecting to see an increased role along the defensive line, I have to question how wise it was for them to be absent while their strongest competitors were all present on Wednesday.

Of course, there are unique circumstances that might prevent a given player from being at OTAs — and the possibility exists that any of these players might have been dealing with some sort of injury — so it would be unfair to judge the aforementioned players too harshly without knowing the full story. The workouts are voluntary, but Harbaugh and the coaching staff will certainly remember who didn’t attend all workouts, especially if any of these players struggle during the mandatory minicamp next month or in training camp.

> Veteran center Matt Birk returned to the practice field after being absent last week, right guard Marshal Yanda and left tackle Bryant McKinnie were not present on Wednesday, leaving a patchwork offensive line to run with the rest of the starting offense.

As previously mentioned, Reid was also absent and rookie offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele missed most of Wednesday’s practice with an undisclosed injury. The result was an offensive line featuring Michael Oher at left tackle and third-year tackle Ramon Harewood on the right side, Justin Boren and Jack Cornell as the guards, and Birk at center — not exactly the line you envision when the Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season opener.

Harewood struggled mightily at times, jumping early on a couple occasions and being flagged for holding defensive end Arthur Jones at one point during full-team drills. The 6-foot-6, 340-pound tackle from Morehouse had limited football experiences prior to being taken in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, meaning the last two seasons spent on injured reserve have done little for his development. Harewood admits to needing time to knock off rust in getting back on the practice field, but he figures to face an uphill battle in making the 53-man roster this summer and his performance through two weeks of OTAs hasn’t impressed many.

> Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg is excited about the addition of veteran return specialist Jacoby Jones as a major factor in returning both kickoffs and punts, but the sixth-year receiver has struggled at wide receiver, dropping a number of passes from quarterback Joe Flacco in two practices open to the media.

Jones does provide a veteran option at the No. 3 receiver spot behind starters Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, but there was a reason why the Houston Texans parted ways with him earlier this off-season. He caught 127 passes and 11 touchdowns in five seasons with Houston, but Jones was often criticized for not having reliable hands and never firmly established himself as a consistent target despite his 6-foot-2, 212-pound frame.

There’s no question Jones can be a nice addition to a Baltimore offense that essentially didn’t have a third receiver last season — unless you count tight end Dennis Pitta, who often lined up in the slot — but as I wrote the day he agreed to terms on a two-year, $7 million contract, fans should temper their expectations of what the 27-year-old can bring as a wide receiver. Regardless of how Jones fares as a receiver, his speed should be a welcome addition to a return game that was largely stagnant in 2011.

> Second-year receiver LaQuan Williams was impressive on Wednesday, catching nearly everything thrown his way over the course of the two-hour practice. Williams made a one-handed catch at one point and hauled in a pass on a fade route inside the red zone.

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With this week’s organized team activities remaining voluntary for Ravens players, it was only natural to see fewer attendees after such a strong showing during last week’s workouts.

Of the seven players missing from last week’s practices, only veteran center Matt Birk was back in Owings Mills for the second week of practices. Linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs (Achilles tendon surgery), safety Ed Reed, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, running back Ray Rice (unsigned franchise tag designation), and rookie cornerback Asa Jackson (school in session) were once again absent this week.

After attending workouts last week, guard Marshal Yanda, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, safety Bernard Pollard, fullback Vonta Leach, linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, and wide receiver Anquan Boldin elected not to be present for this week’s practices.

A veteran choosing to skip voluntary workouts is hardly surprising — even though it draws the ire of some fans — but a number of young players were also absent on Wednesday. Offensive lineman Jah Reid, cornerback Jimmy Smith, defensive end Pernell McPhee, wide receiver Rodney Bradley, linebacker Cody Glenn, and defensive tackle Bryan Hall were not on the field during Wednesday’s workout.

Since Reid is competing with rookie Kelechi Osemele for the left guard position and Smith and McPhee are looking for more playing time on the defensive side of the football, their absences were less expected than experienced players like the 17-year veteran Lewis, who is essentially going through the motions during OTAs.

It’s important to stress these workouts are voluntary, but coaches certainly make mental notes of players not attending these practices — even though they generally won’t admit it.

“Any time that they can be here is always a benefit for them,” said defensive coordinator Dean Pees when asked about Smith and McPhee not being present. “It’s a benefit for us too. It gives us a chance to evaluate them further. It’s also good for them because they pick up whatever we’re doing scheme-wise, because we’re adding a lot all the time. The whole part about OTAs is to try to get the whole package in — even sometimes when it doesn’t look good.”

Cornerback Cary Williams (hip surgery), wide receiver and return specialist David Reed (ACL surgery), and offensive lineman Howard Barbieri (unspecified) were present but not working during Wednesday’s practice. Williams will have another doctor appointment later this week to see how his surgically-repaired hip is progressing and hopes to increase his level of participation during next month’s minicamp.

The fifth-year cornerback is expected to be 100 percent by the time training camp begins in late July. He has been working on conditioning on the side field during OTAs.

“I’ll be out there doing individual drills, running around, doing a lot more cutting, doing a lot more jumping around, catching the balls,” said Williams about his goals for mandatory minicamp. “I might even do one-on-one’s; it just depends on how well it goes. I see the doctor on Friday, so hopefully we’ll come back with some good news.”

Osemele left the field during the early portion of Wednesday’s practice and returned wearing street clothes in the final minutes of the workout. The 333-pound lineman did not appear to be favoring any particular body part as he jogged off the field.

When asked about the rookie’s status following practice, coach John Harbaugh was in mid-season form by not revealing any specifics.

“Like all these guys, they’ve got little bumps and bruises and stuff like that for this time of year,” Harbaugh said. “I’m really not going to get into injuries in May, but he’s fine.”

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