Ravens activate cornerback Asa Jackson from IR-designated to return

Searching for answers for their 31st-ranked pass defense, the Ravens hope to receive some help with the return of cornerback Asa Jackson on Sunday.
The third-year defensive back was activated from injured reserve-designated to return on Saturday before the Ravens traveled to Miami ahead of their critical Week 14 game against the Dolphins. To make room for Jackson on the 53-man roster, Baltimore placed rookie cornerback Tramain Jacobs on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
It will be interesting to see how extensively Jackson fits into the defensive game plan in his first action since suffering a serious turf toe injury against Indianapolis on Oct. 5. With cornerbacks Lardarius Webb, Anthony Levine, and Danny Gorrer all continuing to struggle, Jackson could find himself thrown back into the starting lineup after making four starts earlier this season.
“I think he was playing good before he got hurt,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “I think he’s playing really, really well. Now, time will tell. You can’t really tell out here in practice until the bullets start flying if he’s back to where he was. But he seems to be moving well and doing fine. I think he’ll really help us back there, at least basically in the slot.”
Jackson returned to the practice field on Nov. 21 but wasn’t eligible to return to game action until Sunday.
Of course, expectations should be tempered for a young cornerback who hasn’t played in two months and wasn’t playing at a particularly high level before the injury. Jackson received a minus-4.9 grade in pass coverage from Pro Football Focus in what had been the first defensive snaps of his career earlier in the year.
Should Jackson be used inside to cover the slot as Pees indicated, he’ll face a challenging task in covering Dolphins rookie wide receiver Jarvin Landry, who has a team-leading 57 receptions for Miami in 2014.