What Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh Said About Rookie LaJohntay Wester's Punt Return Touchdown

Ravens coach John Harbaugh was at the forefront of high marks for Wester, essential approval as he guns for a spot on the roster. Baltimore saw several massive plays made through special teams, including a 69-yard kick return by rookie running back Rasheen Ali and a 52-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Loop.

"Obviously, what LaJohntay did was awesome, just to be aggressive," Harbaugh said following the game. "The first punt was a short punt, a tough catch. He ran after it, made it, then he gets yards. Every time he had guys buzzing around him, I thought the blocking was good too, but he made guys miss."

Harbaugh has long been a supporter and teacher of Wester as he enters the NFL ecosystem, a great sign that he'll make the roster and return more punts throughout his rookie year. Wester also became one of Coach Deion Sanders' favorites while with the Buffaloes.

Wester's Big Day

Wester was targeted three times and caught two passes for 41 yards, all marks that led the Ravens in their preseason opening win over the Indianapolis Colts.

His first touch came via punt return, and he already showed the agility and quickness that made him a lethal threat on his feet at both Colorado and Florida Atlantic.

That was only the precursor to his house call, a triumphant moment of arrival into football's highest level. He bobbed, weaved and made various defenders miss en route to the score.

In total, he returned three punts for 104 yards (34.7 on average).

His highlights weren't only on special teams, as Wester dashed down the sideline and executed a tricky mid-air adjustment to convert a 3rd and 8 for 25 yards.

Keaton Mitchell Shows Wester Love

Wester calling his shot wasn't just an expression, as running back Keaton Mitchell revealed that the wideout saw his touchdown coming at a practice before Thursday's game.

"Congrats to him. He said he was going to take one to the crib and he did it," Mitchell said of Wester's score.

Mitchell went on to share high hopes for Wester's chances to have an excellent NFL career.

"He's an athlete, a great returner obviously," Mitchell said. "He's definitely going to make something happen in this league at punt returner."

Wester has described punt and kick returning as how he'll get his foot in the NFL door on a path to regular wide receiver play. If he manages to do so, he'll have one of the league's best quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson to catch passes from.