The Ravens finally traveled to Pittsburgh for a Week 12 showdown that was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night and that’s already been postponed three different times while enduring a massive COVID-19 outbreak.
On Tuesday, Baltimore activated defensive tackle Brandon Williams, quarterback Trace McSorley, and injured cornerbacks Tavon Young and Khalil Dorsey from the reserve-COVID-19 list. Young and Dorsey reverted to injured reserve while Williams and McSorley rejoined the active roster. The Ravens still had 16 players on the COVID-19 list as of Tuesday evening.
Deemed a “high-risk” close contact on Nov. 23, Williams will not play in Wednesday’s game as he continues to recover from the ankle injury sustained in the first quarter of the New England loss on Nov. 15. The day after that game, head coach John Harbaugh said Williams would miss “possibly a week, maybe more,” making his absence against the Steelers unsurprising with no ability to log practice time over the last week.
McSorley’s activation could allow him to serve as the backup quarterback to Robert Griffin III, who’s expected to start in place of Lamar Jackson. However, the Ravens also have rookie quarterback Tyler Huntley as an option on the practice squad. Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP, tested positive for the virus on Thanksgiving, but his 10-day isolation period would expire in time for him to play against Dallas next Tuesday night if deemed ready.
In addition to ruling out Williams, the Ravens announced offensive tackle D.J. Fluker was questionable to play against Pittsburgh due to back spasms. Practice-squad offensive tackle Will Holden rotated with Fluker at right tackle in the Week 11 loss to Tennessee, but he tested positive for COVID-19 late last week, which could leave Baltimore in a very difficult spot at right tackle.
Rookie guard Tyre Phillips is another possible option at right tackle, but he was just activated from injured reserve on Monday. The Ravens claimed offensive tackle Jake Rodgers off waivers last week, but he only completed COVID-19 intake testing on Monday.
The Ravens also announced offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and running backs coach Matt Weiss will not travel with the team or coach in Wednesday’s game due to illness. Assistant offensive line coach Rich Angulo and senior assistant/running backs coach Craig Ver Steeg will take their places respectively.
According to an NFL Network report, the deadline for the Ravens to submit their elevations from the practice squad to play against Pittsburgh is 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. As of Tuesday night, Baltimore had 41 players on its active roster and 15 players on the practice squad. Teams are allowed to have up to 48 players active for games.
Of the 16 Ravens players remaining on the COVID-19 list, running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram would technically be able to play against Pittsburgh after completing their 10-day isolation. However, they weren’t yet able to travel with the team Tuesday evening and didn’t participate in the walk-throughs, leaving their status up in the air at best.
Below is the full list of players on the reserve-COVID-19 list as of Tuesday night:
QB: Lamar Jackson
RB/FB: Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Patrick Ricard
TE: Mark Andrews
WR: Willie Snead
OL: Patrick Mekari, Matt Skura, Will Holden
DL: Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike
OLB: Matthew Judon, Pernell McPhee, Jihad Ward
CB: Terrell Bonds (IR)
SPECIALIST: Morgan Cox
