Five up, five down after the Ravens’ preseason opener

It’s always difficult to gauge running backs in the training camp practice setting, with whistles coming at first contact and no real opportunity for a bruiser like Taliaferro to put his shoulder into defenders and grind out extra yards. Many of Taliaferro’s 36 yards came because he churned through the line and picked up yards after contact Thursday. It’s clear his new, trim physique hasn’t sacrificed his power, and while the Ravens will protect Justin Forsett in the preseason, he might get his role cut by Taliaferro soon enough.

One of the bigger surprises of the day was that Pointer, a veteran of the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squads, started alongside Kyle Arrington at cornerback with Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb not playing. Pointer probably led the Ravens’ defensive backs in interceptions in practice, and earned the chance to shine with the first team. He had a pair of tackles and a pass defense to show for it Thursday, and has proven early on that he has the trust of the coaching staff. Pointer could be one of camp’s biggest stories.

Davis played a ton for the Ravens on Thursday, starting the game and basically playing straight through until his left leg cramped up in the fourth quarter. It was clear that he became more comfortable as the game went on, and his final stat line shows he made an impact in a lot of different ways. He had three tackles, including a tackle for loss, and also picked up a quarterback hit and knocked down a ball at the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees made no bones about saying Davis needs to contribute as a rookie, and he’ll have to grow into that role as he adjusts to the NFL, but early returns are that the rest of the league might rue letting Davis get to the Ravens.

With the typical “It’s preseason” qualifiers, Gillmore looked the part of a No. 1 tight end against the Saints Thursday. Mike Preston was right when he said Gillmore is carrying himself like the top dog. He was a mauler at the line of scrimmage on the Ravens’ first drive, and caught two balls for 17 yards in the first half. Gillmore will be a threat in the red-zone, too, after a year of watching slick short-yardage receiver Owen Daniels while he was a rookie.

An always-reliable cog in the Ravens’ special teams unit, McClellan had some issues in pass coverage on Thursday as the second-team defense struggled to make plays and get off the field the way the starters had. It’s an abnormal lapse for McClellan, who along with Zachary Orr has played much better throughout camp than he did Thursday. His roster spot will probably be safe, but McClellan has better in him than we saw Thursday.

Jacobs, a second-year man who was active for three games last season before a season-ending thigh injury, has found himself buried on the depth chart as he attempts to make his mark after a promising rookie year. Jacobs’ primary action came late in the game, after the likes of Cassius Vaughn, Rashaan Melvin, Quinton Pointer, and Tray Walker all got their shot. There will be plenty of opportunities for the Ravens’ cornerbacks to make an impression, but Jacobs finds himself in the early going having to outplay several for a shot at the 53-man roster.

Trawick’s 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty probably won’t help him in the coaching staff’s eyes, but more troubling than his play or that lapse in judgment is the wrinkle introduced Thursday when cornerback Kyle Arrington lined up where Trawick typically has at safety alongside Anthony Levine with the second-team defense. Trawick has been a valuable special teams contributor for the Ravens for the last two seasons, but in what was supposed to be a big audition for him, someone who doesn’t even play his position often was in his spot.

The Ravens took a flier on Robinson, a Washington Redskin last year, hoping to add the explosiveness that led to a career average of 20.3 yards per catch into their own offense. His hands seemed to let him down in training camp, and as a result, Robinson didn’t see much time until the fourth quarter. He didn’t haul in either of the passes thrown his way, and might not get many more of them if the injured wide receivers come back.

A surprise non-participant in Thursday’s preseason opener, Webb missed an opportunity to get on the field before the Ravens’ fans for the first time this year and show the improvement they wanted to see after a few admitted down seasons. Webb himself said he expects quarterbacks to throw in his direction instead of throwing at blossoming shutdown cornerback Jimmy Smith, and the only way to prepare for that, no matter how long you’ve been around, is to experience it in a game. Thursday would have been an opportunity, however brief, to start that process.