A week after safety Eddie Jackson didn’t make the trip to Pittsburgh, the Ravens cut ties with the former two-time Pro Bowl selection.
Jackson was waived on Saturday afternoon to make 53-man roster room for inside linebacker and special-teams contributor Kristian Welch, who had already been elevated the maximum three times from the practice squad. The move concludes a tumultuous month for the 30-year-old Jackson, who signed with Baltimore at the start of training camp to replace valuable No. 3 safety Geno Stone. Heavily involved in three-safety packages over the first half of the season, Jackson started and played every snap in place of the struggling Marcus Williams in the Week 8 loss at Cleveland before being a healthy scratch against Denver the following week, playing only 16 snaps against Cincinnati, and then being downgraded to out for non-injury reasons against the Steelers.
Head coach John Harbaugh wouldn’t explain why Jackson didn’t travel to Pittsburgh and also didn’t go out of his way to provide a ringing endorsement for the veteran whom Pro Football Focus graded 83rd out of 89 qualified safeties this season.
“I really don’t have anything to say about those personnel decisions that get made or why they get made,” Harbaugh said Monday. “Some of those things are just in-house conversations that we have, and it stops there. Other things are just week-to-week decisions that you make.”
Baltimore replaced Williams — graded 88th out of 89 by PFF — with Ar’Darius Washington at free safety in last week’s loss in Pittsburgh. That lineup change is expected to stick moving forward.
The Ravens conducted a walk-through on Saturday before traveling to Los Angeles and once again listed two-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker Roquan Smith as a non-participant due to the hamstring injury suffered against Pittsburgh. He was officially listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Chargers, but his lack of participation all week wasn’t an encouraging sign for his availability. Veterans Malik Harrison and Chris Board would play more defensive snaps next to weak-side starter Trenton Simpson if Smith is inactive.
Smith, 27, hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the end of the 2019 season when he was finishing his second NFL season with Chicago.
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“Definitely, it will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Friday. “We’re holding out hope and everything like that. I think it’ll just be by committee. Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker, a top linebacker in this league — All-Pro for a reason. Not one guy’s going to replace him.
“We like our guys that we have in the room. They’re here for a reason, and somebody [has] to step up. They’ve got to step up, and we’ve got to step up collectively as a defense.”
The Ravens also listed Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum (back) and defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle) as questionable to play on Monday night. Linderbaum sat out Friday’s practice before being listed as a limited participant on Saturday while Jones continues to play through an ankle injury originally suffered in Week 7.
Baltimore ruled out reserve defensive backs Arthur Maulet (calf) and Sanoussi Kane (ankle) for Week 12.
Meanwhile, the Chargers won’t have starting inside linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) or veteran tight end Hayden Hurst (hip), who were both ruled out. Three starters — outside linebacker Khalil Mack (groin), wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder), and cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle) — were listed as questionable, but all three practiced multiple days this week and appear likely to play against the Ravens.
Below is the final injury report for Week 12:
BALTIMORE
OUT: S Sanoussi Kane (ankle), CB Arthur Maulet (calf)
QUESTIONABLE: DT Travis Jones (ankle), C Tyler Linderbaum (back), ILB Roquan Smith (hamstring)
LOS ANGELES
OUT: TE Hayden Hurst (hip), ILB Denzel Perryman (groin)
QUESTIONABLE: S AJ Finley (ankle), OLB Bud Dupree (foot), CB Cam Hart (concussion/ankle), DB Deane Leonard (hamstring), OLB Khalil Mack (groin), WR Ladd McConkey (shoulder)
