When Lorenzo Taliaferro ended last season on injured reserve — for the third time in his three seasons with the Ravens — running backs coach Thomas Hammock had a suggestion.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Taliaferro might want to try fullback, Hammock said. After all, the running back had trouble staying healthy and cracking the backfield rotation.

In March, the idea became reality.

So Taliaferro has embraced the position switch entering a preseason during which he hopes to establish a consistent role in the offense.

“Blocking, that’s always been my strong point, like pass protection,” Taliaferro said. “It’s technique to it, but it’s more of a will. If you’re willing to stick your nose in there and get dirty and protect the million-dollar man and the guys behind him, that’s all it’s about. I don’t think there’s too much learning. It’s just about willpower.”

The Ravens lost fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who had 266 receiving yards as an option out of the backfield, in free agency, and coach John Harbaugh has said throughout offseason workouts the team will turn to in-house candidates as replacements.

That has meant Taliaferro has channeled his junior college role to acclimate to getting fewer carries.

In 2010 and 2011, he was a 205-pound fullback at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. Taliaferro said the experience helped him develop the toughness, stamina and blocking skills to emerge as a running back at Coastal Carolina in 2012 and 2013.

“I probably was a free agent without pass blocking,” said Taliaferro, a 2014 fourth-round draft pick. “The ability to be a great pass protector is what got me drafted.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound Taliaferro added that those skills will determine whether he keeps his roster spot this season.

He has ended each season on injured reserve, battling foot, knee and thigh injuries. In the past two seasons, Taliaferro has played in a combined six games, finishing with 14 carries for 47 yards and eight catches for 39 yards.

“We’ve got to get a great evaluation, he has to get comfortable there and then we know he can also play halfback as well,” said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, confirming Wednesday that Taliaferro’s primary position is fullback. “That may end up being an important part for him.”

Taliaferro said he has added a few pounds to withstand the physicality, but hasn’t dwelled on his shortcomings to prompt the change.

Instead, he’s planning to work out in San Francisco until training camp starts in late July with an emphasis on avoiding injuries.

“Coaches know that I can play football,” Taliaferro said. “The biggest question mark around me is my health, and I feel great right now.”

Maintaining gains until training camp: Now that the Ravens’ mandatory three-day minicamp ended Thursday, the veterans get to go home or on vacation while the rookies will remain at the team’s practice facility to work out with Steve Saunders, who oversees the strength and conditioning department.

As eager as the players are to enjoy some much-needed time off before the grind of training camp begins in late July, strong safety Eric Weddle said he and his teammates cannot afford to let their hard-earned strides go to waste.

“You want to take a couple days off and mentally recharge your batteries,” he said Thursday. “Some of us have been here since February working out four days a week, all the reps, all the workouts, and you want to take a couple days. But you don’t want to lose what you’ve gained.”

No new injuries: The Ravens wrapped minicamp without any new players sustaining injuries.

The same seven players who sat out Wednesday’s session did not participate in an abbreviated practice that ran for about 1 hour, 45 minutes compared to 21/2 hours Tuesday and Wednesday. They were tight ends Crockett Gillmore (hamstring) and Maxx Williams (knee surgery); right guard Marshal Yanda (offseason shoulder surgery); inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (offseason shoulder surgery); wide receiver Michael Campanaro (sprained toe); cornerback Tavon Young (torn left ACL); and defensive tackle Carl Davis (pectoral).

Wide receiver Breshad Perriman, whom fellow wideout Mike Wallace said got the wind knocked out of him Wednesday, and left guard Alex Lewis, who twisted his right ankle the same day, practiced fully Thursday.

End zone: With the additions of cornerback Brandon Carr and free safety Tony Jefferson via free agency, Weddle said he has been encouraged by what he has seen from the secondary. “We’ve made more plays on the ball, no [coverage] busts,” he said. “We have depth. Just seeing it mold together as the OTAs went on and minicamp of what we can become, it’s going to happen if we strive to be great, if we strive to keep each other accountable, including myself.” … Williams made an appearance during Thursday’s practice, running from the locker room to the field. Williams, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has not played since missing the last 12 games of last season because of a knee injury that required a type of surgery that Harbaugh said in May no football player has had. Harbaugh acknowledged that Williams’ status for training camp is unknown. “I think Maxx is going to be interesting whether he’s there for the first day or not,” he said. “He is going to push it. Knowing Maxx, I guarantee you one thing — if it is humanly possible, he will be ready. But he has that new surgery, so that’s a little bit of a gray area for us as far as knowing how far he’s going to respond.”

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Baltimore Sun reporter Edward Lee contributed to this article.