OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have been trying their younger players at returner in the first two preseason games, and no one has stood out as the frontrunner to replace Jacoby Jones.
Asa Jackson has been the first to field kicks in both games, and he's averaged 8.5 yards on two punts and 20.5 yards on two kickoffs. Michael Campanaro has one punt return for 10 yards in the preseason opener before missing Saturday's game with a soft tissue injury. And undrafted rookie DeAndre Carter has mishandled a kickoff in each of the two games.
These aren't Baltimore's only options, however.
"We have our aces in the hole, of course," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We have Steve Smith and ‘Webby’ [Lardarius Webb] in the hole -- as aces in the hole -- but we’re not using those guys right now."
Smith and Webb would probably be used primarily on punts. Smith has scored six touchdowns off returns (four on punts and two on kickoffs), but he hasn't been a returner in a regular season game since 2010. Webb, who hasn't been a returner on a regular basis since 2011, has averaged 9.8 yards on punts for his career and scored one touchdown.
The Ravens likely won't jump to conclusions yet on this year's small sample size with their young players, though. Jackson has a history of producing in the preseason, scoring touchdowns on two punt returns (although the one in 2012 was negated by penalty). Campanaro averaged 30.4 yards on kickoff returns last preseason. And now, undrafted rookie running back Terrence Magee is getting a chance at returning kickoffs.
"I feel confident in those guys," Harbaugh said. "Those [young] guys are going to have to get it down, and we’re going to have to be really good at blocking people, and we can do that. It’s a team effort out there that way.”
