The Baltimore Ravens were hoping to see a true third-year breakout from wide receiver Marquise Brown in 2021. With a full offseason for the first time in his career, Brown was expected to take full advantage of his practice time this summer.
Unfortunately, that might not be the case now.
Brown was held out for a third consecutive practice on Monday after originally being removed for what was described as “precautionary reasons.” A few days later and the injury might be more significant than originally believed.
Head coach John Harbaugh spoke to reporters following Monday’s practice and he revealed that Brown was dealing with a hamstring injury and that it was “worse than originally thought.”
"“He’s still got an issue with his hamstring. It turned out it’s worse than what they told me it was going to be. He’s out until he’s back.”"
The Ravens could be without Marquise Brown for some time.
The “he’s out until he’s back” comment is particularly concerning. After believing that the injury was nothing more than a day-to-day thing, Harbaugh and the Ravens now have no timetable for Brown’s return.
Brown has dealt with various injuries throughout his career related to both his foot and knee. The former Oklahoma star dealt with a foot injury in college and missed two games as a rookie as a result of an ankle sprain.
He battled through a knee sprain in 2020 and didn’t miss any games, but he did miss some practice time. The hope was that Brown would return in 2021 and be completely healthy for his first full offseason.
Evidently, that won’t be the case.
The Ravens might also be without Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin who are each dealing with minor injuries, according to Harbaugh.
Bateman is experiencing “muscle tightness” which Harbaugh described as “hopefully nothing serious.” As for Boykin, the former third-round pick is also dealing with a hamstring injury and the team will continue to evaluate the severity of it.
Boykin is facing an uphill battle this summer as he competes for one of the final roster spots on the team. Given the emergence of James Proche this summer, Boykin might already be on the outside looking in.
The Ravens hoped to improve upon their passing game this summer. But with Lamar Jackson and numerous receivers sidelined, that might be a difficult feat to accomplish.