Ravens dodge major bullet with Jimmy Smith injury update
By Justin Fried
The Baltimore Ravens immediately feared the worst when longtime cornerback Jimmy Smith was carted off the field during Friday’s practice with what appeared to be a significant leg injury.
Fortunately, the latest update provided by head coach John Harbaugh indicates that the injury isn’t nearly as serious as first believed.
Harbaugh revealed (as had already been reported) that Smith suffered a low-ankle sprain and the timetable for his return was only one to two weeks.
Considering the nature of Smith’s injury and how serious it originally appeared, that’s about the best news they could have gotten.
The Ravens avoided a major injury with Jimmy Smith.
Smith injured himself during Friday’s practice while defending a pass thrown to tight end Mark Andrews. The two got tangled up and Smith went down immediately holding his right leg.
The veteran was carted off with his right leg completely flat leading many to believe that he had sustained a major injury. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Smith will once again be counted on to play a significant role in the Ravens’ defense this season, albeit not as a starter.
Baltimore has arguably the best cornerback depth in the NFL which means that Smith, who would be starting on most teams, is likely the de facto No. 4 cornerback behind Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and nickel cornerback Tavon Young.
Still, despite not playing a starting role for the last couple of seasons, Smith has managed to be on the field for more than 40 percent of defensive snaps in every year of his career. That’s despite the fact that he hasn’t played more than 12 games in a season since 2015.
If Smith were to miss significant time with an injury, the Ravens would have the cornerback depth to survive his absence.
The Ravens are high on Anthony Averett who could step up and fill Smith’s role. The likes of Shaun Wade, Chris Westry, and Khalil Dorsey — among others —have also impressed.
Next. Ravens: 4 players who could pull a Shohei Ohtani and play both ways. dark
Fortunately, however, they won’t have to worry about that. Jimmy Smith should be back in a week or two and the Ravens can collectively breathe a sigh of relief.