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          NFL Nation

          Ravens' Steve Smith is jogging, but not putting a timetable on his return

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterJun 12, 2016, 04:26 PM ET
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          ABERDEEN, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith was talking off to the side at Lardarius Webb's charity softball game on Sunday when a foul ball zipped in his direction.

          Smith, who is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, showed an impressive burst and change of direction to avoid it.

          "I can move faster than what people think," Smith said with a laugh.

          Smith tore his Achilles tendon on Nov. 1 and hasn't participated in any offseason workouts. In March, Smith said he was confident he would be ready for the start of the regular season. On Sunday, he declined to give a timetable on his return.

          "I don't know when I'm coming back," he said. "I just know I have to be able to do something in training camp to be able to play for the season. That's just the way I operate. I can't go from doing absolutely nothing [and] sitting on my butt for all of training camp and then go out there and play."

          Smith, 37, the oldest wide receiver in the NFL, played in the softball game at Ripken Stadium. He didn't run, but he jogged between the bases after getting a hit.

          The Ravens are banking on his return, especially with wide receiver Breshad Perriman facing a potentially season-ending injury. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said at the NFL combine in February that he expected Smith to be ready for the start of the season.

          Smith ranks 11th on the NFL's all-time receiving list with 13,932 yards, and he could finish in the top five if he exceeds 1,195 yards in 2016.

          "I'm just taking it one day at a time, allowing my injury to heal and strengthen myself," Smith said. "I'm trying to be methodical and patient, which I'm not any of those. So it's been good. It gives me a different perspective."