BALTIMORE — Designs of the Ravens being healthier coming out of the bye week didn’t come to fruition for Sunday’s meeting with Minnesota.
In fact, Baltimore’s injury situation looked even worse with veteran defensive tackle Brandon Williams joining right tackle Patrick Mekari (ankle), running back Latavius Murray (ankle), and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (hamstring) on the inactive list for Week 9. Listed as questionable on the final injury report, Williams, 32, missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday due to a shoulder injury and was only able to practice on a limited basis on Friday. It’s unclear when Williams sustained the injury after he played 37 defensive snaps in the Week 7 loss to Cincinnati, a typical workload for the run-stopping nose tackle. Veteran Justin Ellis was set to start in Williams’ place.
Despite head coach John Harbaugh saying Friday that Watkins had a chance to play after looking good in limited practice work this week, the Ravens elected to hold out the oft-injured 28-year-old, especially with a quick turnaround for a Thursday game at Miami to follow. Watkins hasn’t played since the Week 5 win over Indianapolis.
As expected, rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman (groin) was active after sitting out Friday’s practice and being designated as questionable. Mekari and Murray had been listed as doubtful to play after missing the entire practice week, making their deactivations little more than a formality.
With Mekari out and just six healthy offensive linemen available at the end of the practice week, the Ravens promoted veteran offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Saturday. Baltimore also elevated guard/defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie and tight end Eric Tomlinson from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. The Ravens didn’t activate tight end Nick Boyle, cornerback Chris Westry, or defensive end Derek Wolfe from injured reserve by Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
McKenzie was previously listed as only a defensive tackle on the roster, but he began cross-training as an offensive lineman in the last few weeks. His elevation technically gave the Ravens an eighth offensive lineman, which is a requirement to have a 48th player active for game days. And with Williams out, the 6-foot-3, 326-pound McKenzie provided additional depth to the defensive line against the Vikings.
Minnesota was dealing with even bigger roster problems Sunday morning with five-time Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith being placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list, which was bad news for a defense hoping to slow down Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Vikings center Garrett Bradbury also tested positive for the virus earlier in the week.
Below are the Week 9 inactives:
BALTIMORE
WR Sammy Watkins
RB Latavius Murray
S Ar’Darius Washington
OL Patrick Mekari
DT Brandon Williams
MINNESOTA
QB Kellen Mond
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
LB Chazz Surratt
DT Michael Pierce
