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As initially reported by Baltimore Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley, recent shoulder surgery is expected to sideline the two-time Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap for a majority of training camp, head coach Brian Billick confirmed Thursday.

The tentative plan is to keep Heap away from any contact for at least the first two weeks of camp, which begins Aug. 1.

"I would not anticipate seeing him full-go until probably the second or third preseason game," Billick said.

Heap, the Ravens' leading receiver in 2002 and 2003, missed 10 games last season because of a severely sprained ankle.

As Hensley explained it, the dilemma this offseason was not being able to repair the ankle and the shoulder at the same time. Because he couldn't support himself on crutches with a healing shoulder, Heap had to wait until his ankle was out of the protective boot before undergoing his second surgery.

Team officials estimated he had surgery on the shoulder about a month ago.

"It's kind of a double whammy," Billick said. "In a perfect world, he would have been able to get both done at the same time and he would be ready for the first day of training camp."

According to Billick, Heap could return to the Ravens as early as the Aug. 20 preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. If he can't suit up until the third one (Aug. 26 at the New Orleans Saints), he would miss all of training camp.

Billick said the Ravens are confident that Heap will be ready for the regular-season opener.

"We're more than comfortable with him doing that kind of rehab in camp," Billick said. "We've gone through this with any number of different players to make sure they're physically ready. In terms of knowing what to do in the offense and his relationship with Kyle [Boller], that's pretty well developed.

"We know it's going to take a little while to get back into it once he's out there full-go. But Todd is veteran enough that I think we'll be able to minimize the effects of it. ..."

I'll keep a close eye out for reports on Heap's progress in coming months and bring you more as developments warrant. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

According to FOXSports.com, first-round pick Mark Clayton performed like "an old pro" at the team's rookie camp. The report added: "His routes were crisp and he caught every pass thrown to him. He got in and out of breaks and cuts with relative ease."

Of course, he was competing against other rookies, but it was still an impressive start. Clayton did have a slight hamstring pull, but nothing that concerned the Ravens. The Ravens expect him to participate in several offseason mini-camps, and to be at full tilt during training camp.

But Clayton isn't the only receiving prospect worth watching this summer since team officials are reportedly high on second-year men Clarence Moore and Devard Darling.

During his rookie year, in which he made a dramatic rise up the depth chart, Moore developed into a serious threat around the goal line. At 6-6 inches, he was difficult, if not impossible, to cover in a jump-ball situation.

According to BaltimoreRavens.com staffer Adam Beasley, Moore was back at it during red zone drills on Tuesday.

He would take two quick steps forward before cutting wide to the back of the end zone, spin around to Boller, and leap for the football, catching it -- as Beasley characterized it, "at his apex like a power forward ripping down a rebound."

Moore ended his rookie season at roughly 205 pounds, but in the four months since, he has bulked up to around 220. Most of the gain in mass has been pure muscle.

"I'm just trying to eat regularly, keep a lot of calories in my diet, and try to go after the weights pretty hard [and] muscle up," said Moore, who caught 24 asses -- including four touchdowns -- last year. "I'm trying to do right."

Moore's goal is to get up to 227 pounds by training camp, which he said will make him powerful enough to withstand the rigors of a regular season, but will not cost him much in speed.

The added strength will help him break tackles and gain yards after the catch. In his rookie season, Moore had just two catches longer than 20 yards.

Moore has put on much of the weight in his upper-body, but he is most proud of his improvement from the waist down. When he joined the Ravens, Moore could only leg press around 300 pounds, but he claims he can now lift more than 500.

Like Moore, the receiving corps as a whole has gotten considerably stronger this offseason. In addition to drafting Clayton, the Ravens signed Derrick Mason on the first day of free agency.

Indeed, the question now seems to center on how coaches will find snaps for everybody.

Moore started six of the last eight games last year at the "X" receiving position, the receiver that plays on the line of scrimmage who is often a team's big-play, downfield threat. Whether he will have that same role this year remains to be seen.

Some believe Moore and Darling will be asked to play a greater role as the season progresses -- especially late in the season when Clayton is likely to hit the proverbial rookie wall.

As FOXSports put it: "That's when the Ravens will need Darling and Moore to step up, not sulk from lack of playing time."

Of course, all this talk about the team's receiving corps will be for naught if Boller fails to deliver on his promise to prove to critics that he can play in the league.

As the Sporting News recently suggested: "It's up to Boller to have a breakout season. [He] sounds confident, but it's one thing to talk about it, and another thing to prove it."