Four days before welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Baltimore for an unusual Tuesday night meeting, the Ravens remain in flux at the quarterback position.
Not only is 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson still on the reserve-COVID-19 list, but Baltimore placed veteran backup Robert Griffin III on injured reserve on Friday. The 30-year-old hurt his hamstring in Wednesday’s loss to Pittsburgh and will now miss a minimum of three games for the injury that eventually sidelined him in the fourth quarter.
Jackson is said to be “feeling well” and is eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday, but head coach John Harbaugh has emphasized that infected players being reinstated are “medical decisions” and that the 10-day isolation period shouldn’t be viewed as the automatic timetable for a return. Should the 23-year-old star quarterback not be ready to play against the Cowboys, 2019 sixth-round pick Trace McSorley would make his first NFL start as the Ravens aim to snap their three-game losing streak to remain in the AFC playoff hunt.
Relieving the injured Griffin in the 19-14 loss to the Steelers, the Penn State product threw his first career touchdown pass to wide receiver Marquise Brown and finished 2-for-6 for 77 yards. McSorley had played only one career snap in the NFL prior to Wednesday.
“Since he’s been here, he’s come in with the mentality and the poise to lead a team and lead an offense,” left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said. “I’ve always felt as though he was capable of coming in and playing at a high level.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the way that he carries himself, how consistent he approaches the game, and how consistent he is once he takes command in the huddle.”
While the quarterback position remains up in the air, the Ravens activated four players off the COVID-19 list as running back J.K. Dobbins, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, and offensive linemen Patrick Mekari and Matt Skura were reinstated to the 53-man roster on Friday. Those moves leave 13 players on the list after running back Mark Ingram and defensive end Calais Campbell weren’t activated Friday despite having exceeded their minimum 10-day isolation periods.
With Mekari and Skura both sidelined against Pittsburgh, undrafted rookie Trystan Colon-Castillo made his first start at center and held up well despite having not even played an NFL snap prior to Wednesday. The Ravens will welcome more options for an offensive line that’s dealt with injuries throughout the season.
None of these returning individuals from the COVID-19 list appeared on Friday’s injury report, which would seem to bode well for their chances of playing against Dallas.
“How much they’re able to practice? That’s probably your follow-up question here — that depends,” Harbaugh said. “That will be all monitored in terms of how they’re looking and how they’re feeling. As I’ve said, that kind of does go back to the doctors and the trainers in that sense.”
With Campbell still out, the Ravens did receive good news on the defensive line with the return of nose tackle Brandon Williams, who took part in practice for the first time since injuring his ankle early in the Nov. 15 loss at New England. Williams was a limited participant in Friday’s workout after missing each of the last two games.
Cornerback Jimmy Smith (groin), safety Chuck Clark (knee), and outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson (illness) were absent from Friday’s practice after all three started on Wednesday. Smith appears in danger of missing Tuesday’s game after leaving the Pittsburgh game early in the second quarter and not returning. Veteran reserve cornerback Tramon Williams also sat out Friday’s workout with a thigh injury.
In other roster news, the Ravens promoted veteran tight end Luke Willson to the 53-man roster after he’d been elevated from the practice squad to play in each of the last two games. They also designated cornerback Anthony Averett and wide receiver Chris Moore to return to practice from IR, which triggers a 21-day practice window for each player.
Baltimore also signed running back Tommy Bohanon, offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, and defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett to the practice squad and placed tight end Sean Culkin on practice squad IR.
Harbaugh also provided a positive report on offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and running backs coach Matt Weiss, who both missed the Steelers game and are still isolating after testing positive for COVID-19.
“They’re both doing well. I talked to Joe ‘D’ this morning, and I talked to Matt Weiss last night,” Harbaugh said. “I also talked to Daniel Stern, one of our coaching analysts. He does a great job for us too. They’re all doing well. Our prayers are also with them, the other guys, and their families.”
The Cowboys were without five players for Friday’s practice, a list including offensive tackles Zack Martin (calf) and Cam Erving (knee). Both are expected to miss action after sustaining exiting with injuries in their Thanksgiving loss to Washington. Martin, a six-time Pro Bowl right guard, had recently moved to right tackle due to the numerous injuries on the Dallas offensive line this season.
Below is Friday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: S Chuck Clark (knee), OLB Jaylon Ferguson (illness), CB Jimmy Smith (groin), DT Broderick Washington (concussion), CB Tramon Williams (thigh)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: CB Davontae Harris (thigh), DT Brandon Williams (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION: S DeShon Elliott (knee/ankle), OT D.J. Fluker (ankle), LB Kristian Welch (ankle)
DALLAS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: OT Cameron Erving (knee), G Zack Martin (calf), S Steven Parker (ankle), DE Aldon Smith (illness), S Donovan Wilson (groin)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: CB Anthony Brown (ribs)
