OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Facing one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL, the Ravens officially listed starting left guard Kelechi Osemele as questionable to play against St. Louis on Sunday.
Battling through a knee injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice, Osemele was a full participant on Thursday — leading most to believe his game status was not in jeopardy — before once again failing to participate in the final workout of the week. The fourth-year guard played every offensive snap of the Week 10 loss to Jacksonville, but he would likely be replaced by 2013 sixth-round pick Ryan Jensen if he would not be able to go against the Rams.
Rookie tight end Nick Boyle was listed as doubtful as he continues to wear a walking boot on his left foot. The recently-signed Chase Ford could serve as the Ravens’ third tight end on game day behind starter Crockett Gillmore and rookie Maxx Williams.
Linebacker Elvis Dumervil (knee) is probable to play after practicing fully on Thursday and Friday.
Second-year defensive end Brent Urban completed his second full week of practice, but head coach John Harbaugh did not make it clear whether he was a candidate to be activated from injured reserve with the designation to return ahead of Sunday’s game with the Rams. Urban began a 21-day practice window on Nov. 9 and would need to be moved to the 53-man roster by 4 p.m. on Saturday in order to play in Week 11.
“He has practiced well. We haven’t seen any ill effects from the biceps [injury] at all,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see where that goes next week. I think next week is when we have to determine it, but I’m pretty optimistic that he can help us right now. Ozzie [Newsome] and I haven’t talked about it in any kind of detail yet, but I feel very positive about Brent’s progress.”
Meanwhile, St. Louis listed starting right tackle and Linganore High product Rob Haventstein as doubtful to play with a calf injury. Standout defensive ends Chris Long (knee) and Robert Quinn (hip) were designated as questionable.
Baltimore made two practice squad additions on Friday, signing cornerback Jumal Rolle and offensive lineman Blaine Clausell and cutting safety Nick Perry and offensive lineman Marcel Jones. Harbaugh said the Ravens still “have plans” for Perry in the future.
Second-year offensive lineman John Urschel is set to make his first career start at center on Sunday after Jeremy Zuttah (pectoral) was placed on IR earlier this week. The former fifth-round pick will face a challenging interior front that includes 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year Aaron Donald.
“John looked fine,” Harbaugh said. “He has been practicing there from Day 1, so it’s not new for us to have him in there. It’ll be fun to watch him play and see how he does. We believe he’s ready. He has a good task in there against the two good defensive tackles that they play with, and we’re expecting him to play well.”
The referee for Sunday’s game will be Tony Corrente.
According to Weather.com, the forecast for Sunday’s game calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures only reaching the high 40s. Wind could also be a factor with potential gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour, which could presumably pose a challenge to an opponent accustomed to playing in a dome.
“They’re probably happy; they’re running the ball,” said Harbaugh, referring to the Rams’ fifth-ranked rush offense. “I don’t think it’s going to make a bit of difference — the weather — or anything like that.”
Below is the final injury report of the week:
BALTIMORE
DOUBTFUL: TE Nick Boyle (foot)
QUESTIONABLE: G Kelechi Osemele (knee)
PROBABLE: LB Elvis Dumervil (knee), DE Chris Canty (non-injury), LB Daryl Smith (non-injury)
ST. LOUIS
DOUBTFUL: T Rob Havenstein (calf)
QUESTIONABLE: TE Justice Cunningham (finger), DE Chris Long (knee), DE Robert Quinn (hip)
PROBABLE: C Tim Barnes (concussion)
