Qadir Ismail fighting for Baltimore Ravens' roster spot with proud father watching
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Ravens alum Qadry Ismail will be a proud dad watching his son play in his first NFL preseason game on Friday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Qadir Ismail, a tight end from Bel Air, Maryland, is working to make the Ravens roster, the same franchise his father helped win a Super Bowl 24 years ago.
The Ravens begin the preseason at 7:30 p.m. on Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Baltimore.
Quadir Ismail, a 6-foot-6 rookie, will be on the playing field wearing jersey No. 83.
"Keep building each day, keep stacking each day, that's been my mindset the entire time," Qadir Ismail said.
Qadir Ismail, who played high school football at the John Carroll School and then in college at Villanova and Samford, was invited to rookie minicamp in the offseason.
Now, in the thick of training camp, his mindset and work ethic have caught the eye of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
"Qadir Ismail is doing a great job really with everything he is being asked to do," Harbaugh said.
The undrafted rookie is learning two positions - wide receiver and tight end - to make the Ravens' roster.
"For me, it's more so where can I create value for the team," Qadir Ismail said. "It's not like where can I create value for Qadir. It's like the Ravens and the coaching staff see that I can help the team in this certain aspect, then OK I'll do that. You give me the coaching points and I will execute them to the best of my ability."
Making the Baltimore Ravens roster is a tall task, but Qadir Ismail has someone to lean on who has reached the highest level of football in his corner.
His father Qadry Ismail, who is a football analyst for WJZ, is a Super Bowl champion with the Ravens and played 10 seasons in the NFL.
Qadry Ismail had more than 1,000 receiving yards in two of his seasons in Baltimore.
With the opportunity for Qadir to make the Ravens' regular-season roster, this is a full-circle moment for the Ismail family.
However, neither Qadir or Qadry are focused on that.
"I don't have time to sit back and, 'Oh, look you're in purple, oh look at this,'" Qadry Ismail said. "I'm like, 'No, I know you're not here just to participate and get a participation trophy.' You're like, 'Yo, I want to make the team.' This isn't like a gee golly WJZ story. This is like, yo let's do this."
Qadry Ismail lives by the mantra that nothing given, everything earned, while Qadir Ismail is working to earn a spot on the Ravens.
"We'll be locked in," Qadir Ismail said. "I've played plenty of football games in my life and this is no different. We prepared all OTAs. That first play we're going to go out there and boom, what's the play and how do I execute to the best of my ability?"
