Fabian Washington

Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb was activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday, providing another boost to the team's scrutinized secondary. Coach John Harbaugh wouldn't provide a timetable on Webb, but a league source said the team is hoping he'll be ready for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener at the New York Jets. The return of Webb is significant because many team officials believe he's the top cornerback on the Ravens. Fabian Washington, who plays the same position and tore his anterior cruciate ligament a month before Webb did, said Webb doesn't have much further to go in his recovery.

Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth will miss the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Foxworth was a surprise absence from practice Friday, the first full-team workout for the Ravens. He was seen limping off the field during orientation practice Thursday (which was closed to the media). The Ravens are extremely thin at cornerback to start training camp. Along with Foxworth, Fabian Washington (removed from physically-unable-to-perform list) and Lardarius Webb were both not suited up for practice.

In a transformation hard to imagine six years ago, Cary Williams will arrive at the Ravens' training camp next month as a soft-spoken cornerback whose biggest statements have come on the practice field. That was not the case in his two seasons at Fordham, where he routinely lashed out at perceived injustices and railed about limited playing time, ultimately talking his way off the team. In the Ravens' locker room so far this summer, he has rarely spoken and then only in a quiet voice more suitable for church.

Shayne Graham's 60-yard kick soared through the air, struck the right upright and dropped to the ground. There was an anxious moment of silence before the referees signaled the field goal was successful. With the way the Ravens' spring has been going, did anyone expect the final moment of their offseason to turn out differently? On a sun-splashed morning, quarterback Joe Flacco completed passes to his two newest wide receivers, Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth. The usually-strong defense ran all over the field to pick off throws.

There is an assumption floating around that if the Ravens were certain that both Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington would be 100 percent healthy by training camp, the franchise wouldn't have to focus on getting a cornerback during the first two days of the draft. But Eric DeCosta, Ravens director of player personnel, doesn't necessarily view it that way. "I kind of compare corners to pitchers," DeCosta said. "They're fragile. They can break down. You can never have enough good ones.

Fabian Washington expects to be ready for the start of training camp, the Ravens reported. Washington, a starting cornerback for the Ravens the past two seasons, is coming off a season-ending knee injury. He was lifting weights this week when the team began its voluntary offseason conditioning program. "The schedule is for me to be ready for training camp and we're definitely on schedule for that," Washington told the Ravens. "Right now, I'm not close. But I think by training camp, I'll be ready to rock and roll."

Some wonder whether the Ravens gave up too much in the trade for wide receiver Anquan Boldin. They acquired Boldin and a fifth-round pick in exchange for third- and fourth-round picks. But history says the Ravens know what they are doing as far as trades. In analyzing the Ravens' past three major player trades, the team should have no regrets for these moves. June 2006: The Ravens trade a fourth-round pick in 2007 for quarterback Steve McNair. Sure, the Ravens only got one good season out of McNair.

The Ravens' first free-agent visit likely won't be their first free-agent signing. Marlin Jackson, the free-agent cornerback from the Indianapolis Colts, left his meeting with the Ravens on Tuesday without a contract, saying his visit was more exploratory for the team. Jackson has sustained two serious knee injuries the past two seasons, which has led to his finishing on injured reserve in 2008 and 2009. He took a physical and met with team officials at Ravens headquarters.

The Ravens used first-round tenders on three restricted free agents - offensive tackle Jared Gaither , fullback Le'Ron McClain and cornerback Fabian Washington - and are expected to place an additional first-round tender on wide receiver Mark Clayton , according to multiple NFL sources. This essentially secures the return of these starters because another team would have to give the Ravens a first-round pick as compensation if it were to sign one of them.

The Ravens used first-round tenders on three restricted free agents -- offensive tackle Jared Gaither, fullback Le'Ron McClain and cornerback Fabian Washington -- and are expected to place an additional first-round tender on wide receiver Mark Clayton, according to multiple league sources. This essentially secures the return of these starters because another team would have to give the Ravens a first-round pick as compensation if it were to sign one of them. It also represents significant pay increases for Gaither ($2.3 million)