OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The quarterback position continues trending in the wrong direction as the Ravens move closer to Saturday’s meeting with Atlanta.
Not only is Lamar Jackson (left knee) looking more likely to miss a third straight game after sitting out another practice on Wednesday, but backup Tyler Huntley was added to the injury report as a limited participant because of a right shoulder issue. Huntley appeared to be OK in the locker room after practice, but his limited designation presumably paved the way for undrafted rookie Anthony Brown to take a larger portion of the first-team reps.
Huntley missed some practice time during June minicamp and was on a pitch count with his passing at the start of training camp in late July because of lingering shoulder tendinitis, but this is the first time a shoulder issue had surfaced on the injury report in the regular season. The third-year quarterback averaged just 4.6 yards per pass attempt in the 13-3 loss to Cleveland last Saturday, his lowest mark of the season.
Of course, a tender throwing shoulder for Huntley provides even more reason for the Ravens to lean harder into a running game that’s gained more than 400 yards and averaged a whopping 5.9 yards per carry over the last two games. Huntley attempted 30 passes against the Browns despite the Ravens averaging 7.1 yards per rush.
Defensive end Calais Campbell (knee) and cornerback Marcus Peters (calf) were again absent from practice and remain likely to miss Saturday’s game against the Falcons. Peters’ injury leaves the Ravens even thinner at cornerback with second-year defensive back Brandon Stephens expected to take his place opposite Marlon Humphrey in the starting defense.
“The best thing that I can say about Brandon is he goes out there and competes,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said. “There are some situations where he’ll win some, lose some, but the guy is out there, and he’s battling, and he knows what to do. He’s very conscientious. But his role is going to increase now with ‘M.P.’ going down, so we expect him to go out there and not miss a beat.”
Starting wide receiver and 2021 Pro Bowl return specialist Devin Duvernay was no longer on the injury report after being placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his foot on Tuesday, but offensive coordinator Greg Roman and special teams coordinator Chris Horton didn’t sugarcoat the impact of the injury on their respective groups. Horton said he had “no idea” how the injury occurred while calling it “very unfortunate” for both Duvernay and the Ravens.
According to NFL Network, Duvernay is expected to be out for roughly two months, which eliminates any serious chance of him playing again this season short of the Ravens advancing to the Super Bowl, which will be played on Feb. 12.
“It’s a big loss. Devin was having a great year in a lot of different ways,” Roman said. “We’ll have to shift gears a little bit without him, but we really feel like there’s some guys who can step in and do some of the things he was doing. That’s the good news. We just [claimed] Sammy Watkins too, so he’s back in Baltimore — really excited about that.
“Losing Devin, you can’t just say, ‘Hey, let’s just keep rolling.’ We’re going to have to make some changes. Guys are going to have to step up.”
Watkins was present and working during Wednesday’s practice and is obviously familiar with the offense after spending last season with the Ravens.
Below is Wednesday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Calais Campbell (knee), QB Lamar Jackson (knee), CB Marcus Peters (calf)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder), OT Ronnie Stanley (rest/ankle)
ATLANTA
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: RB Cordarrelle Patterson (rest)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: OL Chuma Edoga (knee)
