When nose tackle Michael Pierce announced his retirement in March, there was doubt about the Ravens having enough beef on the defensive line.

The Ravens have responded well.

They have enough girth, especially in first down or running situations, with possible starters in 6-foot-4, 338-pound Travis Jones, 6-3, 327-pound veteran John Jenkins and 6-2, 315-pound Broderick Washington Jr.

If that’s not enough meat, the Ravens can insert 6-6, 315-pound C.J. Okoye.

If it’s a pass-rushing situation, the Ravens can add or subtract with outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, who can also double as a defensive end. Robinson, 6-6 and 262 pounds, has enough versatility to be used in either a two- or four-point stance depending on the assignment.

Then there is Nnamdi Madubuike, who is the most complete linemen on the defense. He needs to be careful, though. Jones, in his fourth season out of the University of Connecticut, has played well during OTAs and rebuilt that body in the offseason.

There is very little baby fat on that frame.

Running back rotation

It’s very easy to see why team officials gave running back Derrick Henry a two-year contract extension in early May worth $30 million with $25 million guaranteed. He is a specimen, and it isn’t hard to figure out why he has basically stayed injury-free throughout his nine-year career.

He is 6-3 and weighs 247 pounds. When carrying the ball, it’s hard to tell the difference between the pigskin and his biceps. Plus, who wants to hit that big train running downhill with a time of 4.54 seconds in the 40-yard dash?

The biggest battle is who will be No. 2 behind Henry. Both Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill have split repetitions with the second unit. Hill, though, might be more of a third-down player as a weapon out of the backfield as opposed to Mitchell, who is certainly more of a breakaway threat than Henry. Hill is a better pass blocker than Mitchell.

The Ravens have a surplus of runners, and that’s a good situation.

Here’s the catch

A year ago, receiver Zay Flowers seemed more focused in his second season compared with OTAs this offseason. That’s not to say that he is going to have a bad year, because few teams can cover Flowers with one defender, but he has dropped more balls in the past three weeks than usual.

It’s a focus issue.

Meanwhile, tight end Mark Andrews has been obsessed and looks like the Andrews of old instead of an old Andrews. He has shown breakaway speed several times in practices, and that was lacking a year ago.

The best catch of the day was hauled in by Anthony Miller on a 20-yard reception despite being triple covered. Also, second-year receiver Devontez Walker has shown good acceleration and hands on crossing routes. He can make a lot out of very little.

He’s still fast

During the first drill involving quarterbacks, it was so easy to see the difference in the foot speed of Lamar Jackson compared with backups Cooper Rush and Devin Leary.

In fact, it was no contest.

Jackson’s feet barely touched the ground while receiving snaps, and he made Rush and Leary look as if they were in slow motion.

Linebacker look

Early last season, several teams attacked middle linebacker Roquan Smith, who struggled in pass coverage with running backs out of the backfield. In the season opener, Kansas City ran a lot of crossing patterns over the middle.

It will be interesting to see how the Ravens have changed things up, especially with Trenton Simpson possibly performing better on the weak side.

Secondary looks sharp

Jaire Alexander’s addition was the big news of the day, but Baltimore has other talented defensive backs. The defense recorded three interceptions Wednesday, including one off Jackson.

“I thought we had an excellent bunch of corners yesterday and we added one more excellent corner today,” coach John Harbaugh said.

Wiggins picked off Jackson when an errant throw sailed past Rashod Bateman. Bateman tried to run a stop route, but Jackson’s pass missed the receiver and Wiggins easily picked it off. Safety Beau Brade made an easy interception on an overthrown deep ball and cornerback T.J. Tampa recorded another interception, his second in as many days.

“You can see the trajectory that we think we’re on,” Hamilton said. “We’re off to a great start, it seems like we’re playing 12-on-11 out there sometimes.”

Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230.