Ngata set to return from suspension for start of playoffs

BALTIMORE — Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata’s season isn’t over after all.
With Baltimore qualifying for the postseason on Sunday, the five-time Pro Bowl selection will be reinstated Monday after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. In a statement released by the team when he was suspended, Ngata admitted to testing positive for Adderall.
The ninth-year defensive lineman was in the midst of his best season since 2011 as he collected 31 tackles, two sacks, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 12 games before news came of his suspension on Dec. 4.
His return comes at the perfect time after rookie Timmy Jernigan left Sunday’s game with a foot injury. After filling in for Ngata over the last four games, Jernigan will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Monday.
“We get the big guy back,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “It’s very unfortunate about young Timmy Jernigan, but he’s young. Those kids heal amazing. He’s going to heal, and we’re going to get him back when we get him back. But it’s great to get my brother back, to [get] one of the leaders of this team back. That’s huge for us.”
Ngata’s conditioning will be in question after not playing in a game since Week 13.
He reportedly has been training at his home in Utah during the four-game ban. Head coach John Harbaugh said he expects the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Ngata to pick up where he left off when he returns to the Ravens’ Owings Mills facility this week.
Nose tackle Brandon Williams quipped after the game that he sent Ngata a text message reminding him about the defensive line’s lifting session on Monday morning.
“I’m confident Haloti will be ready to go. That’s his job — to be ready to go,” Harbaugh said. “I’m confident he’ll do it. He has done it before. He has been there; he knows what’s at stake.”