The Ravens will welcome back a veteran member of their defense, but the status of one of their starters is now uncertain for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
On Saturday, nose tackle Michael Pierce was activated from injured reserve and will return to action for the first time since hurting his calf in late October, but safety Ar’Darius Washington did not travel with the team because of a personal matter. The Ravens announced Washington is questionable to play in Sunday’s 1 p.m. game at MetLife Stadium.
Washington has been a good story offsetting what’s been a brutal season at the position with former starting free safety Marcus Williams being benched and veteran backup Eddie Jackson being cut due to poor performance. Despite injuries limiting Washington to just eight games over his first three seasons, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound defensive back has made six starts and appeared in all 13 games this season, collecting one interception, 49 tackles, six pass breakups, and a sack. Pro Football Focus has graded Washington 22nd out of 92 qualified safeties this season.
Should Washington not play against the Giants, the Ravens would probably turn back to Williams, who carries the third-highest salary cap number on the 2024 roster and is in the third season of a five-year, $70 million contract. Williams has graded 91st out of 92 safeties, per PFF.
With Pierce returning to action and starting defensive tackle Travis Jones off the injury report for the first time since Week 7, the Ravens are the healthiest they’ve been along the defensive line in nearly two months.
“Those guys are game-wreckers inside,” said head coach John Harbaugh about Jones and Pierce earlier this week. “Those guys being ready to go, being 100% is a massive possibility. Two massive guys playing massively good football. That’s the idea inside the trenches there. These games are going to be won in the trenches.”
In addition to activating Pierce from IR, the Ravens elevated cornerback Desmond King and linebacker William Kwenkeu from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
