OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely will miss his second straight game against Cleveland in Week 2, but he took an important step toward making his return to action on Friday.
Hours before officially being ruled out for Sunday’s home opener, Likely practiced on a limited basis for the first time since fracturing his left foot on July 29 and undergoing surgery a few days later. The 2022 fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina ran routes and hit a blocking sled as tight ends coach George Godsey and members of the training staff observed. Likely had begun working out on a side field during the media viewing portion of practices last Friday, a sign that he was getting close to a practice return.
“I’m encouraged by the progress. I talked to him today,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “You saw [him] during practice out there. He’s in a good place, so I’m encouraged.”
Five-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard was also ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Browns as he continues to recover from a calf injury suffered in mid-August. On Monday, Harbaugh expressed optimism that Ricard would be able to return to practice in some capacity this week, but that didn’t happen.
With Ricard out, the Ravens are again expected to elevate tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden from the practice squad to help fill the void as a lead blocker. Mitchell-Paden had never appeared in an NFL game before last Sunday night, let alone played fullback. He impressed coaches with his performance over 15 offensive snaps as part of Baltimore’s 238-yard rushing performance.
“What an unbelievable testament,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “In my mind, he could have easily made the [53-man roster]. If you have training camp for guys to earn to make the team, he did that. And then for him to play in the backfield — which we hadn’t done a lot of — within three days, it was huge. It was huge in terms of our ability to run the ball like we did.”
Cornerback Jaire Alexander (right knee) does not carry a game status designation into Week 2 despite being limited during Wednesday’s workout, but it remains to be seen what his role might be against the Browns after his significant struggles in the season-opening loss to Buffalo. Both Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Zach Orr acknowledged the two-time Pro Bowl defensive back missing the final three weeks of summer practice contributing to his poor performance.
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Alexander played 33 defensive snaps against the Bills as the Ravens frequently deployed a four-cornerback dime package that also included starters Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie. Should Baltimore elect to ease Alexander’s workload for the time being, second-year cornerback T.J. Tampa would be the next man up in sub packages.
“We know the player that he is and the player that we saw in camp that he’s going to be for us,” said Orr about Alexander, who’s played more than seven games once in the last four seasons due to injuries. “We have full confidence in him. He’s been flying around. The main thing is being healthy enough to go out there and practice, and he’s been able to do that last week [and] this week.
“He’s just going to continue to get better. I’m still excited and fired up about him — the team is, the organization is. There’s no doubt in our mind that he’s going to be ready to go when it’s time.”
Cleveland officially listed starting right tackle Jack Conklin (elbow) and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins (non-injury) as questionable to play on Sunday.
Below is the final injury report for Week 2:
BALTIMORE
OUT: TE Isaiah Likely (foot), FB Patrick Ricard (calf)
CLEVELAND
OUT: DT Michael Hall (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: OT Jack Conklin (eye/elbow), RB Quinshon Judkins (non-injury)
