OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Preparing for their most challenging matchup of the season to date, the Ravens could debut a new offensive line combination for Sunday’s tilt against New Orleans.
With left guard Alex Lewis sidelined from Wednesday’s practice while recovering from a neck injury suffered in the Week 6 win at Tennessee, the Ravens will weigh their options while still hoping he makes enough improvement to play against the Saints. It’s a possibility head coach John Harbaugh didn’t rule out at the beginning of the week, but the Ravens will be cautious with Lewis’ health.
“I guess I would label it, for lack of a better term and to go back to an old term, [to] be a pinched nerve,” Harbaugh said. “That just kind of heals. That can heal like that (snaps fingers) or it can take a little bit of time, so he’s really day-to-day is really the best way to describe it with that kind of injury.”
Should Lewis not play, the Ravens could choose to move right tackle James Hurst to left guard — the position he played in place of the injured Lewis last season — and start rookie third-round pick Orlando Brown Jr. at Hurst’s current spot. Brown received most of the reps as the first-team right tackle in training camp and the preseason while Hurst filled in at right guard for six-time Pro Bowl selection Marshal Yanda, who was working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, but the Ravens have gone with the more experienced option through the first six weeks of the regular season.
Rather than disrupt two positions early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game after Lewis was carted off the field on a stretcher, the Ravens kept Hurst at right tackle and inserted rookie sixth-round pick Bradley Bozeman at left guard to finish off a 21-0 win.
“He was prepared to play the left guard spot, and James was practicing the right tackle spot the whole time,” Harbaugh said after Sunday’s game. “We could do it the other way too if we had to, but that’s the way that [offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris] wanted to do it.”
Cornerback Brandon Carr was the only other Baltimore player to miss Wednesday’s practice for a health-related reason, but this is the fourth straight week he’s received a practice day off for a knee issue, removing doubt about his availability for Sunday’s game. Cornerback Anthony Averett made his return to practice after missing the last four games with a hamstring injury.
Returning from their Week 6 bye, the Saints held out wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (knee) from Wednesday’s practice. Left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) and wide receiver Cameron Meredith (knee) were limited participants.
Below is Wednesday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: WR John Brown (non-injury), CB Brandon Carr (knee), G Alex Lewis (neck), S Eric Weddle (non-injury)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: CB Anthony Averett (hamstring), DB Anthony Levine (hamstring)
NEW ORLEANS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: WR Ted Ginn Jr. (knee), DT Taylor Stallworth (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: OT Terron Armstead (knee), G Andrus Peat (head), WR Cameron Meredith (knee)
FULL PARTICIPATION: CB Marshon Lattimore (concussion)
