A day after making his return to the practice field with a pronounced limp, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was once again absent and appears in jeopardy of missing his third straight game due to a right ankle injury.
Limited in his first on-field work in 2 1/2 weeks on Wednesday, Jackson was unable to practice for a second straight day, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of playing in Sunday’s must-win tilt with the Los Angeles Rams. In the portion of Wednesday’s practice open to reporters, Jackson didn’t move around as much as usual and showed an obvious limp when walking and jogging lightly, which led to plenty of outside speculation about his status for Week 17.
“I’m sure in his mind he’s ready to play,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said prior to Thursday’s practice. “But I think as coaches, it’s our responsibility to make sure that he’s in good enough health that he can go out there and play the way we need him to play … and make sure he’s able to protect himself adequately. I think that’s definitely a process that goes on day to day.”
The good news on Thursday was the activation of Tyler Huntley from the reserve-COVID-19 list, putting the backup quarterback on track to be ready to start against the Rams if necessary. Though Huntley tested positive for the virus on Christmas, which forced veteran Josh Johnson into an emergency start against Cincinnati last Sunday, the second-year quarterback has performed well in Jackson’s place this season.
Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and practice-squad safety Tony Jefferson were also activated from the COVID-19 lists, leaving tight end Josh Oliver as the only player from Baltimore’s 53-man roster on the list as of Thursday evening.
Cornerback Anthony Averett (ribs/chest) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (foot) remained sidelined for a second straight day, which was concerning for a defense already decimated by injuries and needing a strong performance to slow veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense. Two Pro Bowl selections — fullback Patrick Ricard (knee) and return specialist Devin Duvernay (ankle) — returned to practice on a limited basis on Thursday.
Wide receiver Marquise Brown sat out Thursday’s practice due to an illness, making his status something to monitor approaching the weekend.
The Ravens placed second-year offensive lineman Tyre Phillips on injured reserve less than two weeks after he sustained a knee injury in the Week 15 loss to Green Bay. Since he was already designated to return from IR with a knee injury earlier in the fall, Phillips is not eligible to return and will now miss the remainder of the season.
Baltimore also placed rookie running back Nate McCrary on the practice squad injured reserve on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Rams activated left tackle Andrew Whitworth from the COVID-19 list.
Below is Thursday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: CB Anthony Averett (ribs/chest), TE Nick Boyle (non-injury), WR Marquise Brown (illness), QB Lamar Jackson (ankle), OLB Odafe Oweh (foot), G Ben Powers (foot), OT Alejandro Villanueva (non-injury), DT Brandon Williams (non-injury)
LIMITED: WR Devin Duvernay (ankle), LB Malik Harrison (illness), DB Anthony Levine (knee), FB Patrick Ricard (knee)
LOS ANGELES
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DL Greg Gaines (hand), WR Van Jefferson (non-injury), S Taylor Rapp (shoulder)
FULL PARTICIPATION: OL Brian Allen (knee), OLB Chris Garrett (illness), WR Ben Skowronek (shoulder)
