The Ravens received no additional positive COVID-19 results from Monday morning’s round of testing, but seven defensive players were deemed “close contacts” to All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey on Tuesday.
Outside linebackers Matthew Judon and Tyus Bowser, safety DeShon Elliott, inside linebackers Patrick Queen, L.J. Fort, and Malik Harrison, and practice-squad cornerback Terrell Bonds were placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list designed for players who have either tested positive or come in close contact with an infected individual. All seven players must now isolate away from the Owings Mills training facility and will not be permitted to practice this week, but all remain eligible to play in Sunday’s game at Indianapolis if they continue to test negative for the virus daily and do not experience any symptoms for five days.
Head coach John Harbaugh already ruled out Humphrey for Week 9 with the 24-year-old required to isolate for 10 days away from the team.
According to an NFL Network report, six of the seven “close contact” players had game-day contact with Humphrey while another had social contact. In a memo sent to teams on Tuesday, the league reiterated that players wearing masks whenever not actively playing in the game could be the difference in an individual being designated a “high risk close contact.”
Asked on Monday if there had been any instances of players not conducting themselves properly as it pertains to virus mitigation away from the team facility, Harbaugh defended Humphrey and the rest of his players.
“There’s just a lot of factors involved, and I don’t think we want to be accusatory in any way,” Harbaugh said. “If we had some guys acting irresponsibly, we’d be all over them absolutely. We haven’t found that at all with our guys. Our guys have been really focused on trying to really be the best football team they can be, and I’m proud of those guys for that.”
There will be no media practice viewing this week with the Ravens operating under the league’s intensive COVID-19 protocol, but pondering what the defense might look like at practice is quite the exercise. The starting defensive line remains unchanged, but defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has no obvious option at the “Sam” outside linebacker spot and would be looking at Chris Board and practice-squad member Kristian Welch as his starting inside linebackers. The top three cornerbacks would be Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, and Khalil Dorsey while Anthony Levine would project to be the starting safety next to Chuck Clark.
Pending testing results over the next few days, the Ravens working with a patchwork defense for practices only would be the current best-case scenario for the week.
Safety Geno Stone, offensive lineman Will Holden, tight end Sean Culkin, and long snapper Nick Moore are being protected on the Baltimore practice-squad this week, a more notable piece of information with the Ravens keeping their fingers crossed for no more positive tests.
The Ravens also placed rookie right guard Tyre Phillips on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain. That move will sideline the third-round pick from Mississippi State for at least three games and leaves backup center Patrick Mekari and second-year guard Ben Powers as the top candidates to take Phillips’ place at right guard.
