The Baltimore Ravens have been hit by a slew of injuries in recent weeks. They have lost countless starters, and while many of their statuses are still up in the air for the team’s Week 5 game against the Houston Texans, the outlook appears to be week-to-week for most.
The Ravens finally did receive some good news on Wednesday regarding injury updates, though. They saw 2025 third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. return to practice. It was the first time he had practiced with the team since he injured his shoulder in May.
Rookie T Emery Jones Jr. makes his Ravens practice debut, opening his 21-day practice window
— Baltimore Banner Sports (@AllBannerSports) October 1, 2025
Jones Jr. has been on the NFI list after undergoing shoulder surgery pic.twitter.com/pkd8Da6z3J
Despite time away from the field, Head Coach John Harbaugh highlighted that the 21-year-old looked impressive in his first practice back.
“He looked healthy, and he looked strong, looked like he’s been training,” Harbaugh said. “First day back into football in quite a while for him, but I thought he looked good.”
Given that he has not been on the field for months, Jones is unlikely to see the field before the bye week, but it is an encouraging sight to see for a Baltimore team that has had consistent struggles on the offensive line.
Harbaugh also mentioned in his press conference on Wednesday that there is no exact plan for Jones right now, but they will test him at both tackle and guard as he gets back into football shape.
If he can prove to be a starting-caliber guard, it would be a breath of fresh air, as the Ravens continue to struggle on the interior.
Emery Jones could be the answer at guard
Both right guard Daniel Faalele and left guard Andrew Vorhees have had troubling moments this year. Faalele has especially had trouble in the run game and has had his fair share of head-scratching plays as a pass blocker. In Vorhees’ case, the 26-year-old is struggling to catch on in his second season of action.
If either were to be benched for Jones in the near future, it would likely be Vorhees. Vorhees had a chance to win the starting job in 2024, but lost the battle early in the season to Patrick Mekari. With Mekari now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vorhees is being given another opportunity to impress coaches and earn the starting job for the foreseeable future. However, he has yet to do that. He has posted a 52.0 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus, through four games and has also allowed eight pressures.
Baltimore’s offseason was heavily reliant on Jones to improve the interior offensive line play. They lost Mekari, and the only signing they made was Ben Cleveland. They threw Faalele and Vorhees back into the spotlight for another year, and it has not paid off. Maybe Jones can help turn the unit around.