DeAndre Hopkins Already Earning Trust of Ravens QB

"It didn't go right, and Lamar just stuck with him, and it ended up being a touchdown," Ravens quarterback coach Tee Martin said last Thursday. "You usually don't see that kind of trust with a new face this early in training camp. So, I think DeAndre has a history of making quarterbacks feel good, because the outcome has been good most of the time. He makes plays. It may not be the way you may have coached it, but at the end of the day, the result is what you want, and it's touchdowns and first downs."

The aforementioned play was just one of several impressive catches Hopkins made during that particular day of practice, which continues a trend of him making such plays since the start of training camp and even dating back to the offseason program when they were just in helmets and shorts.

Early on in training camp, Martin has observed Jackson "really forcing the issue" when it comes to developing his on-field relationship with Hopkins, especially when it comes to beating man coverage and specific routes such as fade and go routes.

"Those type of routes will set up the other things that we want to do with [Hopkins]," Martin said.

Jackson is far from the only player who is getting to sharpen their skills as a result of Hopkins being on the field. On the other side of the ball, second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins has had some great one-on-one battles with his fellow former Clemson University alumni as he prepares for what many believe will be his breakout 2025 campaign.

"'D-Hop' has been one of the best receivers in league for a long time," Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said last Thursday. "I think he's still at the top of his game. So, now Nate's learning all of the little tricks that receivers do, the vet moves that they pull out there on the outside, and 'D-Hop' can still play at a high level. I've been impressed with him. So, it's good work for Nate, and he accepts the challenge. He's won a lot of battles, and 'D-Hop' has gotten him as well, so it's just going to make them better, man. We talk about [how] 'iron sharpens iron,' and it's good that we get the opportunity to do that with our own guys."

With Likely currently out of commission as he recovers from surgery to address a foot injury, putting his availability for the onset of the regular season in jeopardy, Hopkins will have more opportunities to earn Jackson's trust in contested-catch situations and challenge Wiggins and other members of the Ravens' loaded secondary for the ball when it's in the air.