OWINGS MILLS, Md. — In the middle of their bye week after a 5-2 start to the 2021 season, the Ravens welcomed back an important part of their defensive line to the practice field on Tuesday.
Having missed the first seven games with a back injury, defensive end Derek Wolfe was designated to return from injured reserve and is on track to make his season debut next month. Wolfe had been sidelined since Aug. 23 and failed to recover as quickly as anticipated, which prompted Baltimore to place him on IR on Oct. 2.
“He had the back stiffness, tightness — whatever is in there with that — and he just hasn’t been able to train,” said Harbaugh about Wolfe in early October. “We just felt like, ‘You know what? He’s back feeling good. Let’s give him a chance to train and get in football shape. Then, when he’s ready to go, he’ll be ready to go.'”
Wolfe was arguably the most valuable player of the defensive line last season with fellow veteran starters Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell each missing multiple games due to injury. His strong play included a career-high 51 tackles and a standout performance in the wild-card playoff win at Tennessee, which prompted general manager Eric DeCosta to re-sign the 31-year-old to a three-year, $12 million contract in March.
Second-year defensive tackle Justin Madubuike has played a bigger role and started four games in Wolfe’s absence, but the Baltimore defensive line would certainly benefit from another established veteran in the game-day rotation.
“He’s going to be coming back pretty soon. He’s in meetings and stuff like that, and we’re glad to have him back pretty soon,” Madubuike said last week. “But outside of that, we’re just filling in his position and making sure that we all know all the positions on the line and making sure that we just play as unit.”
Wolfe and tight end Nick Boyle, who was designated to return from IR last week, were both taking part in Tuesday’s indoor practice otherwise intended for young players, backups, and members of the practice squad. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson and well over 20 others weren’t present for the portion of the workout open to reporters.
Offensive lineman Tyre Phillips was taking part and is expected to fill in for injured right tackle Patrick Mekari, who left in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss with a right ankle injury. Mekari reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain and could miss some action after the bye. Head coach John Harbaugh wouldn’t confirm the nature of the injury to Mekari’s right ankle on Monday, saying the Ravens would “just see where it goes.”
On Tuesday, Baltimore worked out veteran offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who was just released by Seattle. Cincinnati’s first-round pick in 2015, the 29-year-old has started 30 games over his seven-year career, but he’s made only five starts since the start of 2018.
