OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Just a few days after sustaining a knee injury, standout safety Kyle Hamilton was back at practice as the Ravens prepared for their Sunday night tilt at AFC South-leading Jacksonville.
Hamilton was a limited participant on Wednesday, taking part in positional work before moving to a side field as the Ravens entered a full-team period at the conclusion of media viewing. Head coach John Harbaugh said the second-year defensive back “moved pretty good” while Hamilton — who wore a brace on his left knee — admitted his status for Week 15 remains “up in the air.”
After hurting his left knee late in the first quarter of last Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, Hamilton returned to action in the second period and then tweaked the knee again midway through the third quarter. The 2022 first-round pick out of Notre Dame told reporters he wanted to reenter before being advised by the medical staff to sit out the remainder of the game. Multiple reports on Monday indicated Hamilton is dealing with a grade 1 MCL sprain.
“I think it’s just reps honestly. It’s tough to simulate getting practice reps,” said Hamilton about what he’ll need to do to be able to play against the Jaguars. “You can do as many mental reps as you want, but being out there actually seeing live plays, it’s different when getting prepared for a game. I’ll hopefully be out there [Thursday] getting some reps and preparing for the game.”
Should Hamilton not be ready to play in Jacksonville, Baltimore has multiple options for the nickel position, which include veteran slot defender Arthur Maulet and second-year cornerback Damarion Williams. Activated from injured reserve after his 21-day practice window expired Tuesday, Williams has yet to play this season after undergoing ankle surgery in August. The Ravens could also turn to three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who has moved inside in the past.
Newly signed rookie Malik Cunningham made his practice debut on Wednesday, giving the Ravens a fourth quarterback on the 53-man roster. Harbaugh acknowledged Cunningham’s addition being “a future type of a move” with primary backup Tyler Huntley and 37-year-old veteran Josh Johnson both set to become unrestricted free agents in March. A former college teammate of Lamar Jackson, the undrafted Cunningham received a glowing endorsement from the man he’ll now back up in Baltimore.
“He has all type of potential. He’s a great quarterback,” Jackson said. “I’ve seen it firsthand when he was a freshman at Louisville. Obviously, I had to watch some of his high school highlights because that’s just what we do. We love watching each other play football. He is a great quarterback, explosive, can throw the ball anywhere on the field, can make guys miss. He can do it all.”
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To make room for the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Cunningham on the active roster, the Ravens placed two-time Pro Bowl return specialist and wide receiver Devin Duvernay (back) on IR, which will sideline him for the rest of the regular season. Week 14 hero Tylan Wallace will assume punt return responsibilities while Justice Hill replaced the injured Duvernay for kick returns against the Rams. Rookie running back Keaton Mitchell could also be in the mix as a kick returner.
“We’ll expect him to be back for the playoffs,” said Harbaugh about Duvernay. “But our first job is that we have to get there before we can talk about that. That’s our goal.”
With every player on Baltimore’s 53-man roster practicing, the only other notable addition to Wednesday’s injury report was Pro Bowl inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who was listed as limited with a back issue.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars practiced without two starting members of their secondary as cornerback Tyson Campbell remains sidelined with a quadriceps injury and safety Andre Cisco is dealing with a groin issue. Starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (ankle) was a full practice participant after playing in last Sunday’s loss at Cleveland.
Below is Wednesday’s full injury report:
BALTIMORE
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (rest), S Kyle Hamilton (knee), ILB Roquan Smith (back)
FULL PARTICIPATION: OLB Malik Hamm (ankle), LB Malik Harrison (groin)
JACKSONVILLE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: CB Tyson Campbell (quadricep), S Andre Cisco (groin)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: WR Jamal Agnew (shoulder), CB Christian Braswell (hamstring), OL Ezra Cleveland (knee), RB Travis Etienne (ribs), CB Tre Herndon (concussion), RB D’Ernest Johnson (knee), WR Zay Jones (knee), OL Walker Little (hamstring), TE Brenton Strange (foot)
FULL PARTICIPATION: QB C.J. Beathard (left shoulder), QB Trevor Lawrence (ankle)
