OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Wearing a black sleeve on his right arm and not throwing any passes during Wednesday’s practice, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson quipped that he’s saving them for the Week 3 clash with New England.
Jackson was limited with an elbow issue that head coach John Harbaugh downplayed as “just a normal course of the season type thing” that wouldn’t keep the star quarterback out of Sunday’s game. Though Jackson wouldn’t divulge when the minor injury occurred, he appeared to hit his right arm on the helmets of fullback Patrick Ricard and Miami edge rusher Melvin Ingram throwing a completion to tight end Mark Andrews two plays before his 79-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. The 25-year-old showed no noticeable passing limitations in the fourth quarter, going 7-for-12 for 90 yards.
“I’m good. I’m going to be out there Sunday,” Jackson said. “I’m going to be out there tomorrow in practice. I’m good.”
The Ravens can certainly afford to play it safe with Jackson, who enters Week 3 second in the NFL at 9.0 yards per pass attempt, third with a 120.1 passer rating, and tied for fifth with six touchdown passes.
Concerns remain in the secondary, however, with top cornerback Marlon Humphrey (groin) sitting out Wednesday’s practice after missing much of the final quarter of the stunning 42-38 loss to the Dolphins. The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback played 56 of 71 defensive snaps after being listed as questionable to play in Week 2.
Second-year cornerback Brandon Stephens sat out Week 2 with a quadriceps injury, but he returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. After playing in a game for the first time since tearing his ACL days before the 2021 season opener, cornerback Marcus Peters was given a veteran day off.
Cornerback Damarion Williams was a limited participant despite exiting with an ankle injury in the final minute of the Miami game.
“This week, most of everybody should be back,” Stephens said. “I’m hoping — crossing my fingers — I’ll be back this week and be out on the field. We’re just trying to get healthy with the weeks to come.”
The Ravens enter Week 3 ranking last in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 25th in pass defense efficiency after giving up six touchdown passes to Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins and blowing a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Beyond Humphrey, the only other Ravens player on the 53-man roster to miss Wednesday’s practice for an injury reason was wide receiver and return specialist Devin Duvernay, who left last Sunday’s game with a concussion.
“Devin is looking OK. He’s in the concussion protocol,” Harbaugh said. “He got hit right in the head after he caught the ball. I don’t know if they’re looking at that in the league office or not. He didn’t have many symptoms. He had actually no symptoms, so it’s looking positive.”
Asked about the Ravens visiting with veteran free agents Jason Pierre-Paul and Blake Martinez on Tuesday, Harbaugh expressed hope that both would still join Baltimore. In the meantime, general manager Eric DeCosta signed veteran outside linebacker and former Gilman star Brandon Copeland to the practice squad.
Originally signed by Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Penn in 2013, the 31-year-old Copeland never appeared in a regular-season contest for the Ravens, but he’s appeared in 82 games and made 21 starts in his NFL career with Detroit, the New York Jets, New England, and Atlanta. Despit having not been with a team since spending the 2021 season with the Falcons, Copeland hopes to fulfill a wish to play for his hometown team in a real game.
“It’s a dream come true. If you look at some of the interviews I did this summer, I told them I’d drive here myself and work out and prove that I belong,” said Copeland, who also worked out for the Ravens in mid-August. “I’m taking it one day at a time, one minute at a time, one meeting at a time, and we’ll see what the end product looks like. But I can’t tell you how excited I am. I can’t put it into words.”
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) remained a limited participant in practice while running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) continues to practice fully in anticipation for his 2022 season debut.
The Patriots practiced without starting safety Kyle Dugger (knee) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee) on Wednesday. It’s unclear whether Meyers will play this week with reports indicating at least some short-term concern with his knee while Dugger played only 19 defensive snaps before exiting New England’s Week 2 win over Pittsburgh.
Below is Wednesday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Calais Campbell (rest), WR Devin Duvernay (concussion), OLB Justin Houston (rest), CB Marlon Humphrey (groin), CB Marcus Peters (rest)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: QB Lamar Jackson (right elbow), TE Isaiah Likely (groin), WR James Proche (groin), OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle), CB Brandon Stephens (quadriceps), CB Damarion Williams (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION: RB J.K. Dobbins (knee), DT Travis Jones (knee)
NEW ENGLAND
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: S Kyle Dugger (knee), WR Jakobi Meyers (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: S Joshuah Bledsoe (groin), S Cody Davis (calf), DL Davon Godchaux (back), LB Raekwon McMillan (thumb), DL DaMarcus Mitchell (knee), S Adrian Phillips (ribs)
