The Baltimore Ravens placed four players on the active PUP list on Thursday, five days ahead of the official start of training camp.
The Ravens announced that the likes of left tackle Ronnie Stanley, tight end Nick Boyle, cornerback Iman Marshall, and linebacker Otaro Alaka had all been placed on the PUP list.
Offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James also joined Ben Cleveland and Jacob Breeland on the non-football injury list. James is not expected to play in 2021 after tearing his Achilles this offseason, but the Ravens haven’t ruled out the possibility.
None of these moves are particaurly surprising with all four players, as well as James, sitting out during spring practices.
The Ravens will hope to see these players return soon.
Players on the PUP list can be moved to the active roster at any point prior to the start of the regular season. If they are not activated before the season starts, they will be forced to miss at least the first six weeks.
Neither Stanley nor Boyle was expected to be ready for training camp as each player continues to rehab from serious injuries that were suffered last season.
Stanley played just six games last year before sustaining a season-ending ankle surgery that required multiple surgeries in the offseason. The Ravens hope he will be ready for Week 1, but they are clearly being cautious with him in training camp.
As for Boyle, he too is rehabbing after suffering a gruesome knee injury in Week 10 of last season. Boyle will look to return to action as soon as possible, but there’s at least a chance he starts the year on the PUP list.
Both Marshall and Alaka are recovering from season-ending knee injuries and are in need of strong summers to solidify a roster spot.
Injuries have been the story of Marshall’s career as the former fourth-round pick has played just three games over the course of his brief career. As part of a stacked cornerback group, Marshall’s time to make an impact might be running out.
An undrafted free agent in the 2019 NFL Draft, Alaka made the 53-man roster out of training camp but soon found himself on the injured reserve — a place he called home again for much of 2020.
The Ravens will hope to return to full health in the near future. But for now, a few players might be sitting out for the start of training camp.