Key players return from injury for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018
By Joe Schiller
With all of the struggles the Baltimore Ravens endured during 2017, key players will be returning from injury next season.
Even after being just one down away from a playoff berth that ended in heartbreaking fashion, some would say the Baltimore Ravens had no business being there in the first place. Not because the Ravens didn’t deserve it but because of the number of injuries the team endured during the 2017 season.
Not counting the players that were waived throughout the season, the Ravens finished the year with 15 players on injured reserve. That doesn’t include Danny Woodhead and Maurice Canady, who were designated off IR midway through the season. The injuries didn’t just occur to run-of-the-mill players, the Ravens saw many key starters and promising talents lost before and during the season. There’s no question that injuries were a league-wide problem, but the Ravens just happened to be the leader of the pack.
Now with the season officially over, many will point to disappointments but there’s a silver lining heading into 2018. Plenty of talent is returning off of injuries and the Ravens will be a much stronger team next season because of it.
According to The Football Database, here’s at all the players that ended up on IR for the Ravens:
Brandon Boykin, CB
Bam Bradley, LB
Kenneth Dixon, RB
Crockett Gillmore, TE
Jaylen Hill, CB
Brandon Kublanow, C
Alex Lewis, OT
Albert McClellan, LB
Stephane Nembot, OT
Nico Siragusa, OG
Jimmy Smith, CB
Brent Urban, DT
Tim White, WR
Marshal Yanda, OG
Tavon Young, CB
The list speaks for itself. The Ravens were decimated with injuries this season and that’s not an exaggeration.
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Most of these players were injured before or early on in the season. Only Jimmy Smith and Jaylen Hill were placed on IR late. You have to figure if Yanda and other key starters were able to stay healthy, the Ravens would’ve been a playoff team. For the team to overcome these injuries and put themselves in a position to make the postseason is an impressive feat in itself. Even though they played a number of backup quarterbacks throughout the regular season, it’s not like the Ravens were at full strength themselves.
The good news is, the team is expecting a number of these players to be ready by training camp or the start of the 2018 season. John Harbaugh spoke about the injuries in his end of the season press conference, giving positive updates on Tavon Young, Kenneth Dixon, Alex Lewis, Albert McClellan, Tim White and Brent Urban. It was interesting to point out that Harbaugh even said White was ready to play the final six weeks of the season but the team did not have a roster spot.
Urban and Gillmore are impending free agents but the Ravens have close to 10 impact players coming back next season regardless. That’s going to make a huge difference, assuming all can stay healthy for 16 games. The offensive line is going to be back to full strength and other important positions will have much-needed depth.
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Yes, the Ravens still have plenty of work to do in free agency and the draft but don’t forget about the abundance of talent that is returning off injury. That’s going to make a huge difference come September.