BALTIMORE — For the second straight week, the Ravens have benched a starting player — at least sort of.
Struggling since a strong performance in the season opener, veteran cornerback Shareece Wright has been deactivated and will not play against the Washington Redskins on Sunday. This comes a week after the Ravens deactivated former starter Justin Forsett, who was released on Tuesday.
Roughly 15 minutes after the inactives list was released, however, the Ravens said Wright has been experiencing back spasms “recently” despite that not appearing on the injury report at any point during the week. That late announcement was understandably met with skepticism.
Candidates who could see time at outside cornerback include Will Davis and Sheldon Price, who rotated lining up with the starting defense during pre-game warmups. Veteran Jerraud Powers and rookie Tavon Young could also be in the mix there, but they are each better suited to play the slot corner spot.
With 2016 first-round pick Ronnie Stanley out for the second straight game with a foot injury and third-year reserve James Hurst faring poorly last week, Baltimore will shift rookie left guard Alex Lewis to left tackle. Of course, Lewis might have been the starter at left tackle in Week 4 if not for a concussion that sidelined him for most of the practice week ahead of the game against Oakland.
On Friday, Lewis expressed confidence in his ability to slide outside since he played left tackle at Nebraska and practiced quite a bit at the position during the summer.
The Ravens will also have a new left guard on Sunday as John Urschel will receive his first start of the season. The 2014 fifth-round pick entered training camp as the favorite to start there, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for an extended period of time and opened the door for Lewis to win the job.
This marks the Ravens’ third different combination at left tackle and left guard in as many weeks, which is far from ideal for the league’s 19th-ranked offense trying to get on track in 2016.
As anticipated and discussed throughout the week, rookie running back Kenneth Dixon (knee) is active and will make his NFL debut. He is expected to serve as a change of pace to starter Terrance West, but the Ravens are intrigued with the fourth-round pick’s potential if he can stay healthy.
Veteran return specialist Devin Hester (thigh) is active after missing practices earlier in the week.
Looking to clean up their shoddy special-teams play over the last two weeks, the Ravens have deactivated rookie linebacker Kamalei Correa and rookie wide receiver Chris Moore, who had played in each of the first four games. Tight ends Daniel Brown and Darren Waller are both active and figure to play substantial roles on special teams after being moved to the 53-man roster earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (elbow) is active despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report. Washington will need him to help take advantage of a vulnerable left side of the offensive line for Baltimore.
The Redskins already ruled out starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland (ankle) on Friday.
The Ravens and Washington are meeting for the sixth time ever in the regular season with Baltimore holding a 3-2 advantage and a 1-0 record at home. However, the Redskins won the last meeting between these teams, a 31-28 overtime final at FedEx Field in 2012.
Baltimore will be wearing purple jerseys with white pants while the Redskins don white tops and burgundy pants for Sunday’s game. Uniforms for both teams will feature pink accessories as an initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Sunday’s referee is Ron Torbert.
According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in Baltimore called for mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching the mid-60s and only a slight chance of precipitation at kickoff. However, wind will be a factor at up to 22 miles per hour throughout the afternoon.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
CB Shareece Wright
OT Ronnie Stanley
WR Chris Moore
S Marqueston Huff
LB Kamalei Correa
DT Willie Henry
LB Matt Judon
WASHINGTON
QB Nate Sudfeld
WR Josh Doctson
CB Bashaud Breeland
CB Dashaun Phillips
S Su’a Cravens
OL Vinston Painter
DE Anthony Lanier
