OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens officially listed Lamar Jackson and eight others as questionable for Sunday’s game in Denver, but there doesn’t appear to be any uncertainty about the star quarterback’s status.
A full participant in Friday’s practice after sitting out the previous two days with a sore back, Jackson appeared to be moving well and spent a few free moments heaving footballs toward the goalpost in the portion of practice open to reporters. Head coach John Harbaugh would only say Jackson practiced fully when asked about his Week 4 status, but one of his teammates and closest friends expressed no concern.
“I felt he looked really good,” wide receiver Marquise Brown said. “He’s been looking good all season. He’s been precise, and I’m happy he’s back at practice with us.”
Though the entire starting secondary was listed as questionable for Sunday, the real concerns appear to be safety DeShon Elliott (quadriceps) and cornerback Anthony Averett (ankle). Elliott hasn’t practiced since injuring his quad in the second half of last Sunday’s win at Detroit and appears unlikely to play, but Averett’s status is more of a mystery after he was added to the injury report on Thursday and missed the week’s final practice, which typically isn’t a good sign for game availability.
With three-time Pro Bowl selection Marcus Peters and talented 6-foot-4 youngster Chris Westry already on injured reserve, the Ravens can hardly afford to deal with new health concerns at cornerback. Top cornerback Marlon Humphrey (knee) and nickel Tavon Young (knee) were officially designated as questionable on the game status injury report, but both were full participants in the final two practices of the week.
Should Elliott or Averett — or both — be unable to play, the good news is the healthy presence of veteran Jimmy Smith, who made his season debut in Week 3 and played 19 defensive snaps to help limit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson to just two catches for 10 yards. Smith would be a top option at safety or cornerback.
“It’s good to have him healthy. I felt bad for him missing all the time in training camp,” Harbaugh said. “It was a really slow type of an [ankle] injury, unfortunately, as it turned out. But he played [and] didn’t miss a beat. He got out there — all that experience paid off — and we’re going to need him this week. We’ve got a similar type of situation with tight ends and big receivers, so he’ll be a big part of the game plan.”
Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (knee) and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee (shoulder) were both listed as questionable, but the veterans were on track to play after sitting out Wednesday’s workout and being limited practice participants on Thursday and Friday.
As expected, Baltimore officially ruled out left tackle Ronnie Stanley (left ankle) and defensive end Derek Wolfe (back/hip). Stanley will miss his third straight game while Wolfe last practiced on Aug. 23 and won’t be available to play against his former team.
Harbaugh said wide receivers Rashod Bateman (groin) and Miles Boykin (hamstring) made “good progress” in their return to practice from IR this week, but they weren’t included on the injury report since they’re not yet on the 53-man roster. The Ravens have until 4 p.m. Saturday to make any roster moves or designate any potential elevations from the practice squad such as veteran running back Le’Veon Bell, who is still waiting to make his 2021 season debut.
The Broncos officially ruled out starting right guard Graham Glasgow with a knee injury, but starting left guard Dalton Risner returned to practice on a limited basis on Friday and was officially listed as questionable along with five others.
Below is the final injury report for Week 4:
BALTIMORE
OUT: OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle), DE Derek Wolfe (back/hip)
QUESTIONABLE: CB Anthony Averett (ankle), S Chuck Clark (hip), S DeShon Elliott (quad), CB Marlon Humphrey (knee), QB Lamar Jackson (back), OLB Pernell McPhee (shoulder), S Geno Stone (thigh), OT Alejandro Villanueva (knee), CB Tavon Young (knee)
DENVER
OUT: G Graham Glasgow (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: ILB Baron Browning (back), RB Melvin Gordon (ribs/lower leg), DE Shelby Harris (wrist/illness), DE Dre’Mont Jones (calf), OLB Andre Mintze (hamstring), G Dalton Risner (ankle)
