Daniels, Canty return to practice as Ravens prepare for Pittsburgh

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A couple days after news came of cornerback Jimmy Smith being sidelined for at least a few weeks, the Ravens welcomed back tight end Owen Daniels and defensive end Chris Canty to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepared for Sunday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Daniels underwent a cleanup procedure on his left knee only last week and missed last Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but head coach John Harbaugh indicated at the time that the veteran tight end could return to play against Pittsburgh. His limited participation on Wednesday indicated a swift return is quite possible if his knee responds favorably.
“It could actually be next week,” Harbaugh said last Friday. “We’ll just have to see how that goes. That’d be an optimistic approach, but it could happen. That’s where we’re at on that.”
Canty’s return to practice came after the veteran defensive end had missed the last four games due to surgery for a staph infection in his wrist. The Ravens have used third-year lineman DeAngelo Tyson in Canty’s place.
The 31-year-old was cleared to begin heavy activity last week, but his biggest obstacle will be getting back into live-game shape after a month layoff. He was a full participant during Wednesday’s practice.
“Chris is back around the team. He’s coming around,” Harbaugh said last Friday. “He was cleared today, as a matter of fact, to start training heavily. It’s just a matter of now how fast he can get back in shape.”
The Ravens were without linebacker Terrell Suggs (neck), defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (shin), guard Marshal Yanda (knee), running back Justin Forsett (ankle), wide receiver Michael Campanaro (hamstring), and Smith during the open portion of practice. Smith is expected to miss a few weeks and Campanaro’s hamstring is a concern, but none of the others are believed to be a major concern at this point in the week.
Cornerback Lardarius Webb worked out without pads on the sideline during the special-teams portion held in the team’s field house, but he received a veteran day off during the outside portion of practice in the rain.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh gave days off to defensive end Brett Keisel and safeties Troy Polamalu and Michael Mitchell while cornerback Ike Taylor (forearm) practiced on a limited basis. Taylor hasn’t played since breaking his forearm in Week 3, but the veteran defensive back returned to the practice field on a limited basis last week.
Below is Wednesday’s injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: WR Michael Campanaro (thigh), RB Justin Forsett (ankle), DT Haloti Ngata (shin), CB Jimmy Smith (foot), LB Terrell Suggs (neck), CB Lardarius Webb (non-injury), G Marshal Yanda (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: TE Owen Daniels (knee)
FULL PARTICIPATION: DE Chris Canty (wrist)
PITTSBURGH
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Brett Keisel (non-injury), S Michael Mitchell (non-injury), S Troy Polamalu (non-injury), TE Matt Spaeth (hamstring), S Ross Ventrone (hamstring)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: CB Ike Taylor (forearm)
FULL PARTICIPATION: T Marcus Gilbert (concussion), DT Steve McLendon (shoulder), LB Ryan Shazier (knee), S Shamarko Thomas (hamstring)