McClain said that he reported at 270 pounds with a target goal of getting down to 260 or 255 pounds.

“I’m in pretty good shape right now,” McClain said. “I’ve got about 10 more pounds to lose. I want to be in that 12-play drive kind of shape.

“I can move at any weight, but 260 or 255 is the weight I feel best at. I’m just working hard to get to that point.”

For McClain, it’s a case of pushing himself to be more heavily involved in the offense as he returns to a more traditional fullback role one year removed from rushing for a career-high 902 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the team.

If McClain is in optimum shape, then he’s hoping that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is more likely to reciprocate with additional carries.

“Coach Cameron wants me at 260, and I’m working hard to get there,” McClain said. “I’m trying to do more in the offense and I’ll let Cam see that. He’s the mastermind of the offense.”

McClain feels like he has something left to prove even though he established himself as an All-Pro last season. He also busted off a career-long 82-yard touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys.

You’ve got to do it all over again,” McClain said. “I’ve got to prove myself and show that last year wasn’t a fluke. I take a lot of pride in my blocking. It’s back to basics. I tell Willis McGahee every day, 'Let’s get both of us back to the Pro Bowl.'”

INJURY UPDATE: Special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo sprained his toe on his right foot and is wearing a boot on his right foot. Magnetic resonance imaging exams revealed no broken bones or ligament damage.

It’s not considered to be a serious injury for the Pro Bowl selection.

Tight end L.J. Smith remains sidelined with a hamstring strain.  He has been working out in the pool at the team hotel after practice.

“We’re just being careful with it to make sure that I can play in the preseason game,” Smith said. “The best-case scenario is next week, middle to late portion of the week. You don’t want it to feel good and then go out there and push it and pull and it go back to ground zero. I’ll gradually build up.

“I’m not having any problems with the hernia or groin. That’s fine. The way I hurt it, it was just hot out there and I was running a lot and it just caught up with me. Luckily, it’s not a bad hamstring pull. It’s just a tweak.”

Wide receiver Yamon Figurs isn’t practicing as he recovers from a broken toe that required surgery.

“I’m doing conditioning now to get back out there, but the toe is all healed,” Figurs said. “I’m just trying to get in shape. We’ll see what the doctors think, but I’d like to get out there next week.

Also not practicing: wide receiver Kelley Washington (flu), cornerback Samari Rolle (groin and neck), linebacker Jason Phillips (lateral meniscus), offensive tackles Adam Terry (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Joe Reitz (knee) and defensive end Will Johnson (right leg).

Terry is awaiting the results of more tests on his knee. His leg remains heavily wrapped up and he's limping pretty badly.

ON THE MOVE: Strong safety Dawan Landry intercepted a pair of Joe Flacco passes, breaking cleanly on the football.

“Everything’s going fine,” said Landry, who underwent offseason neck surgery. “I made a couple breaks and was able to get my hands on the ball. I’m just flying around.”

GETTING THERE: Defensive tackle Brandon McKinney, who impressed the team enough last season as an interior run-stopper that he was signed to a three-year contract this offseason, is one of the biggest players on the team at 6-foot-2, 360 pounds.

“They want me to drop a few pounds, I’m a bit over my target weight,” McKinney said. “I’m in pretty good shape, but losing a few pounds wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t have to take the conditioning test, but when I did take it, I passed.”

QUICK HITS: Running back Ray Rice continues to shine as the first-string back, breaking off a long run. … Wide receiver Marcus Smith caught a long pass behind cornerback Frank Walker, but was flagged for offensive pass interference. … Justin Harper and Demetrius Williams dropped some passes during the morning workout. … Troy Smith was intercepted by former high school teammate Haruki Nakamura. Smith was angered by the mistake and knocked the safety out of bounds with Nakamura throwing the football at Smith. … Undrafted rookie linebacker Dannell Ellerbe repeatedly got the best of fullback Jason Cook in one-on-one confrontations, and knocked off his own helmet with one big hit.

Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.