Cary Williams

With 11 days between now and their first playoff game Jan. 15 at M&T Bank Stadium, five Ravens sat out Wednesday's practice, which had a training camp-like atmosphere in the portion of practice open to media. After the team opened with special teams drills, players did individual drills with their position groups. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the team would use Wednesday and Thursday to “develop our guys.” Inside linebackers Ray Lewis (toe) and Jameel McClain (knee)

PLAY OF THE DAY: Tandon Doss saved an interception, stripping a Joe Flacco pass from Ed Reed. Not too bad for a rookie in his eighth practice against a seven-time Pro Bowl player. CATCH(ES) OF THE DAY: Cary Williams made two interceptions and ran one back for a touchdown. As the fifth cornerback, he will be constantly fighting for a spot on the roster. TOO LONG: Rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith twice outran defenders in one-on-one drills and Flacco overthrew him both times.

The question of which personnel the Ravens would send out when the New York Jets went to a three-receiver set was answered fairly early in the first quarter when three safeties were employed. Seven-time Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed lined up against the slot receiver, strong safety Tom Zbikowski backpedaled to the deep portion of the defensive backfield, and strong safety Bernard Pollard blitzed. That package changed when Zbikowski sustained a concussion, which opened the door for reserve cornerback Danny Gorrer to join starting cornerbacks Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb in the nickel package.

Look for the Cleveland Browns to make an early push during free agency to sign several of the Ravens defensive players. The Browns are $47 million under the salary cap and have privately showed interest in linebackers Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger and cornerback Cary Williams. The Ravens won't make a hard push to sign Kruger and Williams, but they want Ellerbe back.There is speculation Ellerbe wants $6 million per season and the Ravens are prepared to offer $5 million. Ellerbe's durability will be an issue if and when he hits the market.

Jimmy Smith has prototypical size for the cornerback position. He has the speed to bump receivers, then trail them down the sideline. He has confidence to burn, too, which is always a good thing to have at that position. In his first two seasons with the Ravens, Smith showed occasional flashes, but he couldn't stay on the field long enough to live up to the lofty expectations that came with him being a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft. But as Smith enters his third season in the league, the expectations he soon will face might be even greater.

The Ravens will hold their first full-team practice of training camp Thursday, July 26. Each day leading up to the official start of camp, The Sun will examine several key position battles that will be decided during preseason. CORNERBACK The competitors : Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith Breaking it down : Lardarius Webb played at a Pro Bowl level last season and was justly rewarded with a six-year, $50 million contract in April. He'll start on one side and likely draw the opposition's top receiver.

Injuries continue to dog the Ravens secondary, but the unit will welcome back one prominent player for Monday night's contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith (high left ankle sprain) is active after fully practicing Friday and Saturday. Smith probably won't overtake starters Cary Williams and Lardarius Webb on the depth chart, but the club's first-round pick in April will likely be the fifth defensive back in the team's nickel package. The defense will play without cornerback Chris Carr and starting strong safety Tom Zbikowski.

Chris Carr's balky left hamstring kept him out of his third consecutive practice this week, an ominous sign that the cornerback might not be available for the Ravens' road game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday. In his seventh season in the NFL, Carr has never missed a game, playing in 96 straight regular-season contests and five playoff games. Carr couldn't say whether his streak would continue Sunday. "I don't know," he said Thursday. "I'm definitely going to be smart, but if you look at my history, it would say that I'm playing.

The NFL scouting combine starts Feb. 22. In advance of the annual meat market in Indianapolis, staff writer Matt Vensel will examine each position and give Ravens fans the 4-1-1. In this post he looks at cornerbacks . The top prospects: Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, who is still in Baton Rogue, got most of the attention in the LSU secondary, but Morris Claiborne is a complete corner with good size, speed and instincts. At 6 feet 2, Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick is a big, physical cornerback.

Once a position that was described as boasting five starters, the cornerback spot has become an area of concern for the Ravens. First-round pick Jimmy Smith will miss his second consecutive game Sunday when the Ravens visit the St. Louis Rams with a high left ankle sprain - an injury that has the rookie limping around the team's training facility in a cumbersome protective boot. Chris Carr sat out Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans due to a re-aggravated left hamstring injury, and Domonique Foxworth didn't disagree with coach John Harbaugh's suggestion that Foxworth may have to be shelved so that his surgically-repaired right knee can get stronger.