In a move that became all but a formality following a 20-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, the Ravens have placed kick returner David Reed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
The second-year return specialist regained his kickoff return job on Saturday before sustaining the season-ending injury in the second half. Immediately following the game, it was believed that Reed had suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament.
“David Reed’s injury looks serious,” coach John Harbaugh said following Saturday’s game. “That did not look good.”
The Ravens have yet to announce a corresponding roster move, but safety Tom Zbikowski would presumably take Reed’s place as the primary kick returner. After Reed’s two fumbled kickoffs in the Ravens’ Week 10 loss in Seattle, the fourth-year safety replaced him as the primary returner and held the job until Reed reclaimed the spot on Saturday.
While Zbikowski is considered a steady, straight-line returner, he lacks the big-play capability of Reed in the return game, a major reason why the Ravens had continued to work with Reed extensively on ball security following his disastrous performance against the Seahawks in mid-November.
