The Ravens will be without their All-Pro left tackle and a key member of their defensive line against the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
After missing practice on Thursday and Friday with a shoulder injury sustained in the Monday night loss to Kansas City, Ronnie Stanley was deactivated for Week 4, leaving Baltimore very thin at offensive tackle against a formidable defensive line. With Stanley out, Pro Bowl right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was lining up at left tackle during pre-game warmups, the position he played as a consensus All-America performer for the University of Oklahoma. Veteran D.J. Fluker was working at right tackle, the position he played early in his career for the San Diego Chargers before moving to guard.
Regardless of what the starting lineup looks like without Stanley, the Ravens electing not to elevate veteran offensive tackle Will Holden from the practice squad on Saturday was a surprising choice. Should something happen to Brown or Fluker during the game, Baltimore would be forced to put an interior lineman such as rookie right guard Tyre Phillips or backup center Patrick Mekari at tackle.
A more surprising deactivation than Stanley was defensive end Derek Wolfe, who practiced on a limited basis Friday after missing the previous day’s workout with an elbow injury. It’s unclear whether Wolfe’s ailment is related to the elbow injury that landed him on injured reserve with Denver last season, but defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will now need some productive snaps from rookie fifth-round pick Broderick Washington, who played sparingly in Week 2 and was a healthy scratch against Kansas City last Monday. Rookie third-round defensive tackle Justin Madubuike missed his fourth straight game with a right knee injury despite practicing on a limited basis over the last two weeks.
Veteran cornerback Jimmy Smith missed practice with a knee injury on Friday, but he was active and expected to play extensively in the Baltimore secondary. Defensive back Anthony Levine was also active after missing some practice time this week with a lingering abdomen injury.
Having sustained a thigh injury during practice this week in addition to waiting to be cleared from the broken finger sustained in August, wide receiver and special teams standout Chris Moore was once again deactivated.
With the Ravens missing multiple players due to injuries, running back Justice Hill (thigh) and rookie guard Ben Bredeson were active for first time this season. Hill practiced fully each of the last two weeks, but questions remain about his game-day role with him being fourth on the depth chart behind Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards.
Washington had already ruled out rookie defensive end Chase Young (groin) and starting wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. (toe) on Friday, but standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin was active despite landing on the injury report with a thigh issue late in the week. That was good news for second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who could very well be playing for his starting job in Week 4.
Sunday’s referee is Adrian Hill.
According to Weather.com, the Sunday forecast in Landover called for mostly sunny skies and temperatures reaching the mid-60s with no chance of precipitation and calm winds.
Baltimore will be wearing white jerseys with black pants while Washington dons burgundy tops and white pants for Sunday’s game.
The Ravens and Washington are meeting for the seventh time ever in the regular season with the series tied 3-3 and the teams 2-2 at FedEx Field. However, Washington has won each of the last two meetings in the regular season.
Below are Sunday’s inactives:
BALTIMORE
OT Ronnie Stanley
DE Derek Wolfe
WR Chris Moore
DT Justin Madubuike
S Geno Stone
QB Trace McSorley
WASHINGTON
QB Alex Smith
WR Steven Sims Jr.
DB Danny Johnson
LB Cole Holcomb
OT Saahdiq Charles
DE Chase Young
