OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens were able to sign two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander to a $4 million contract back in June after an extensive injury history led to his release from Green Bay.
That’s why they’re going to be careful with the 28-year-old, who played in just seven games last season because of an injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Alexander had the knee drained just a few days into training camp in late July and hasn’t practiced since Aug. 9, but head coach John Harbaugh isn’t expressing concern about his availability for the Sept. 7 opener at Buffalo.
That injury as well as groin, back, and shoulder ailments have cost Alexander 10 or more games in three of the last four seasons.
“He had something, just to kind of take care of that knee,” Harbaugh said Monday. “And then you do some things to kind of help it from a health standpoint. It’s something he’s been dealing with for a few years now, so it’s not anything we didn’t expect probably. It might’ve been something to help, but you have to take a couple of days after you do that before you can practice.”
Alexander wasn’t the only cornerback absent from Monday’s practice as Chidobe Awuzie and Jalyn Armour-Davis (illness) were also missing, and Nate Wiggins watched most of the workout from the sideline. The good news was two-time Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton returning to practice on a limited basis, but Harbaugh said the secondary is “dealing with nothing serious” that would jeopardize anyone’s availability for Week 1.
The Ravens have already lost sixth-round rookie cornerbacks Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam to season-ending knee injuries this summer and veteran safety Ar’Darius Washington to a spring Achilles tendon tear that’s expected to keep him out until at least November or December.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has also been in and out of practice over the last week while managing a knee issue, according to Harbaugh. The 33-year-old played in 16 games with Tennessee and Kansas City last season despite sustaining a knee injury in training camp that had to be managed over the course of the 2024 campaign.
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After suffering a gruesome elbow injury in Saturday’s preseason win at Dallas, second-year outside linebacker Adisa Isaac will begin the season on injured reserve. It’s a disappointing development for the 2024 third-round pick from Penn State who appeared in just four games as a rookie because of multiple hamstring injuries.
The Ravens had hoped a dislocation would be the full extent of Isaac’s injury before he underwent an MRI.
“There was some ligament damage in there with the dislocated elbow,” Harbaugh said. “If it had been a dislocated elbow clean, it would’ve been about three weeks. But since it’s not, he’s going to have to undergo surgery. It’s not a season-ender though. Maybe midway in the season sometime, he’ll have a chance to come back.”
Isaac’s long-term absence is likely good news for the status of fourth-year outside linebacker David Ojabo, whom many have perceived to be on the roster bubble this summer.
Harbaugh confirmed third-round rookie offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr. won’t be ready for the start of the regular season, which makes it very likely that he’ll remain on the non-football injury list and not be eligible to be activated until Week 5. Jones has missed the entire spring and summer while recovering from shoulder surgery.
“Disappointing. He’s not going to make it to the start of the regular season,” Harbaugh said. “I would say the doctor, the surgeon, the best I can tell you, he wants to be sure that it’s fully right, and that’s the way it should be. We respect that. It’s going to take a little longer, so we won’t be counting on him early on in the season.”
Sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason opener, running back Keaton Mitchell returned to practice on a limited basis on Monday.
