Running back Musa Smith and wide receiver Devard Darling have had their share of training camp and preseason game highlights the past couple of seasons.
Now, the pair of veterans must prove they can perform when it counts.
This season is a critical point in the careers of Smith, Darling and a number of other veterans trying to compete for one of the few remaining spots on the 53-man roster or the five-man practice squad.
“This is a tough team to make because we?ve got some good depth and there are not as many spots open as there were last year,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “So it?s going to be a tough camp for these young guys.”
Smith saw significant action last season when he appeared in 12 games before being sidelined with a neck injury. He spent the previous year-and-a-half recovering from a broken leg he suffered in November 2004 against the Dallas Cowboys, which limited him to one game the following season.
Still, the Ravens have faith in Smith, a 2003 third-round pick from Georgia, who signed a one-year deal with Baltimore in the offseason. The Ravens are counting on Smith to back-up running back Willis McGahee and contribute on special teams.
“It?s great to be back,” Smith said. “They know I can do positive things and they signed me back. I?m just trying to get my swagger back and things have gone well so far. The injuries are frustrating, but that’s life. You?re going to get knocked down and I know how to get back up. I worked hard this offseason and I?m looking forward to putting it behind me.”
Darling arrived in Baltimore as a third-round pick in 2004. The speedster from Washington State has just two career receptions and saw action in only one game last season. He knows the competition to make the team is fierce with veteran Derrick Mason and emerging stars Demetrius Williams and Mark Clayton entrenched as the top three receivers.
Darling said the biggest motivation is his late twin brother, Devaughn, who passed away following an offseason conditioning session when the two played at Florida State in 2001.
“Every day I keep him in my heart,” Darling said. “There?s not a day that goes by that I don?t think about him. I?m just out there every day for both our legacies and trying to carry on his name.”
