OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Having already ruled out Pro Bowl pass rusher Elvis Dumervil for the second straight week, the Ravens could be without another outside linebacker in Cleveland on Sunday.
After missing his third straight practice with an ankle injury, Za’Darius Smith was listed as questionable to play in Week 2. Despite not starting in the opener against Buffalo, the 2015 fourth-round pick played 36 snaps in the Week 1 win, the most of any active outside linebacker.
Smith was not listed on the injury report last week after missing the final two preseason games with an ankle sprain. It remains unclear whether he aggravated the previous injury or hurt the opposite ankle against the Bills.
“I really don’t know,” head coach John Harbaugh said early Friday afternoon. “I don’t remember. The injury report will be out later.”
Dumervil hasn’t practiced since suffering a setback in his return from offseason foot surgery last month. The 32-year-old said Thursday that he’s improving and getting closer to a return, but he still offered no timetable for when he might be ready to play.
With Dumervil out and Smith in danger of missing Sunday’s game, the Ravens may need to lean more heavily on rookie linebackers Matt Judon and Kamalei Correa. Judon saw only 13 defensive snaps against Buffalo while Correa, the team’s second-round pick, only played on special teams in the season opener.
“They’ve both done a tremendous job and have demonstrated that they can play in this league,” Harbaugh said. “That’s an ongoing process, and whatever opportunities they get, we’ll be expecting them to make the most of it. We’re going out there as a team to go win the football game.”
The Ravens also listed wide receiver Breshad Perriman (calf), inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (thigh), cornerback Jerraud Powers (ankle), and guard John Urschel (shoulder) as questionable. All four were full participants in practice on Thursday and Friday, leading you to believe they should all be healthy enough to play against the Browns.
Perriman missed Wednesday’s practice, but he returned the following day and told reporters that he was feeling good and expecting to play in Week 2.
As expected, rookie running back Kenneth Dixon was ruled out as he continues to recover from a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee sustained in the third preseason game on Aug. 27. At the time of the injury, he was expected to miss roughly four weeks of action.
Meanwhile, the Browns did not have a single player absent from practice on Thursday or Friday and didn’t list anyone on their final game status injury report. Defensive backs Marcus Burley (groin) and Derrick Kindred (ankle) were limited in practices early in the week, but the NFL eliminated the “probable” label on the injury report, likely explaining why they weren’t listed in the game status report.
The referee for Sunday’s game will be John Hussey.
According to Weather.com, Sunday’s forecast in Cleveland is calling for a 50 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms, temperatures reaching the mid-70s, and winds up to 10 miles per hour.
Below is the final injury report for Sunday’s game:
BALTIMORE
OUT: RB Kenneth Dixon (knee), LB Elvis Dumervil (foot)
QUESTIONABLE: LB C.J. Mosley (thigh), WR Breshad Perriman (calf), CB Jerraud Powers (ankle), LB Za’Darius Smith (ankle), G John Urschel (shoulder)
CLEVELAND
No one listed
