OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As the Ravens wait to find out which team they’ll face in next week’s divisional round, they returned to the practice field Wednesday with several players still on the mend.
Wide receiver Zay Flowers (calf), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf), outside linebackers Odafe Oweh (ankle) and Malik Harrison (groin), inside linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips (shoulder), and tight end Charlie Kolar were not practicing during the portion of the workout open to media, but Humphrey was spotted working out on a side field, an encouraging development for the three-time Pro Bowl defensive back. Both inactive for the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh last Saturday, Flowers and Humphrey haven’t practiced since the Week 17 win over Miami. Oweh hurt his ankle early in the Week 18 loss to the Steelers and didn’t return while Phillips and Kolar were also banged up.
Safeties Kyle Hamilton (knee) and Geno Stone (knee), right guard Kevin Zeitler (knee/quadricep), and defensive end Brent Urban (stinger) were all present and working after dealing with recent injuries. With the top-seeded Ravens enjoying a first-round bye, they won’t release their next injury report until next week, making the participation level of these players unclear.
On Wednesday, Baltimore also designated wide receiver Devin Duvernay to return to practice. The two-time Pro Bowl return specialist has been on injured reserve since hurting his back in the Week 14 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, but Tylan Wallace and Justice Hill have emerged as effective replacements on punt returns and kick returns respectively.
Officially signed to the practice squad last week, four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook practiced with the Ravens for the first time and apparently made a strong first impression with head coach John Harbaugh.
“We view him as a very valuable or potentially very valuable weapon on our offense,” Harbaugh said. “Obviously, Dalvin Cook is a high-pedigree player, highly-decorated player, and he’s still got talent and ability, and he’s smart. He’s in great shape; he’s in football shape. He’s been playing football [and] looked very good in practice out here today. I think he’s going to be a valuable part of our team and the playoffs here.”
Saturday stadium practice
Upon completing a typical practice week in Owings Mills, the Ravens will shift to M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, which is believed to be the most noticeable change from their bye-week schedule as the No. 1 seed four years ago.
“It’d be the normal practice that we would do here. We just actually kind of sat down and talked about it, and it came up in the conversation, ‘Hey, how about we take it to the stadium just to keep a rhythm?’” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think we practiced on Saturday last time. That was a long time ago, but we didn’t really practice on Saturday. But we thought that would kind of put us in more of a rhythm in terms of the pace as if you were playing a game this weekend.”
Of course, coaches and players will then watch wild-card weekend unfold with the potential to play Houston, Cleveland, Miami, or Pittsburgh in the second round. The Ravens will host the lowest remaining seed that advances this weekend.
Jackson voted Ravens MVP, Hamilton named media “Good Guy”
Regarded as the overwhelming favorite to win his second NFL MVP award, star quarterback Lamar Jackson was voted 2023 Ravens MVP on Wednesday.
Receiving the local honor for the third time in his career, Jackson was the unanimous choice among local reporters and members of the Baltimore chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. The 27-year-old tied running back Ray Rice for the most Ravens MVP selections since the local honor was introduced in 2003.
Hamilton was voted media “Good Guy,” an honor bestowed upon a Baltimore player who goes above and beyond media requirements to make himself available to reporters and provide insight to pass along to fans. Other Ravens receiving “Good Guy” votes this year included inside linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Geno Stone, and fullback Patrick Ricard.
Below is a history of the Ravens MVP and “Good Guy” selections (in that order):
2003: Jamal Lewis, Gary Baxter
2004: Ed Reed, Anthony Weaver
2005: Adalius Thomas, Jamal Lewis
2006: Steve McNair, Bart Scott
2007: Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason
2008: Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs
2009: Ray Rice, Jarret Johnson
2010: Haloti Ngata, Chris Carr
2011: Ray Rice, Bernard Pollard
2012: Ray Rice, Arthur Jones
2013: Justin Tucker, Joe Flacco
2014: Justin Forsett, Torrey Smith
2015: Marshal Yanda, Jimmy Smith
2016: Justin Tucker, Zachary Orr
2017: Terrell Suggs, Eric Weddle
2018: Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr
2019: Lamar Jackson, Orlando Brown Jr.
2020: Lamar Jackson
2021: Mark Andrews, Mark Andrews
2022: Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen
2023: Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton
