With Forsett in question, Ravens promote Magee from practice squad

With starter Justin Forsett’s status in jeopardy due to an ankle injury, the Ravens promoted rookie running back Terrence Magee from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game against San Francisco.
To make room for Magee on the 53-man roster, Baltimore waived cornerback Charles James, who had been promoted from the practice squad earlier in the week.
Forsett practiced on a limited basis on Friday and was labeled a game-time decision by head coach John Harbaugh before being designated as questionable on the final injury report. However, the decision to promote Magee isn’t exactly an encouraging sign that the Ravens will have their 2014 Pro Bowl selection in the backfield.
With the Ravens off to a 1-4 start and No. 1 receiver Steve Smith nursing a back injury, the timing of Forsett’s injury couldn’t have been worse after he had rushed for a combined 271 yards in the last two games. The 30-year-old injured his ankle late in regulation of the Week 5 overtime loss to Cleveland.
“Hopefully, some more healing takes place,” Forsett said on Friday afternoon. “I think we’re going in the right direction, so hopefully we’ll be ready to go.”
Should Forsett not be able to play, the Ravens would be forced to depend on the rookie trio of Buck Allen, the recently-claimed Raheem Mostert, and Magee. Saturday marked the second time Magee had been signed to the 53-man roster since the end of the preseason, but the LSU product has seen action in just one game and has yet to play an offensive snap. Because of his familiarity with the offense, Magee would likely serve as the primary backup to Allen if Forsett can’t play.
Needless to say, the running back picture is less than ideal as No. 2 option Lorenzo Taliaferro was placed on season-ending injured reserve earlier this week after undergoing foot surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury. Taliaferro had been listed as probable on the Week 5 injury report before being deactivated for the Cleveland game.
“It kind of took us by surprise there a little bit, but the foot had been bothering him,” Harbaugh said on Friday. “He tweaked it — maybe it was Oakland or one of those weeks in there — and sat out that week [and] then came back the next week and just wasn’t getting much better.
“We sent him to see the foot specialist; I believe it was Dr. [Robert] Anderson, and he just felt like the Lisfranc had reemerged from last year. They decided not to do surgery on it last year and just let it heal, and in some way, it kind of happened again. They decided to do the surgery right there.”
Taliaferro has played in just 16 games in his NFL career.