Great news came out of Ravens camp on Thursday! Horrible news came out of Ravens camp on Thursday! Ugh, this endless (injury-related) struggle!
Baltimore (2-1) released their second injury report of the week ahead of Sunday's divisional class at Cleveland (2-1) and while there were some positives (two players returned!) there were also very upseting negatives (five players still out!)
Thursday’s Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/JGmF6ltxDA
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 28, 2023
The week didn't start in any great way when the Ravens had as many as seven players out for their first practice on Wednesday.
There was a mixture of good and bad news coming out of Thursday's practice, including a couple of surprising returns, to concerning absences, and some up-and-down reporting on a plethora of other players.
Here's all we learn coming out of the second-to-last practice of the Ravens before they fly to Cleveland to try and conquer the Dawg Pound.
Kyle Hamilton, Justice Hill, and Marcus Williams back training with the Flock
Everything looked even worse when we all realized S Kyle Hamilton was nursing a back injury without having any prior clue about it. That, upliftingly, changed on Thursday as Hamilton went back to training even in a limited capacity.
The same went for running back Justice Hill (foot) whose turf toe was initially expected to sideline him for weeks (or at least one game). With Hill back and fellow rusher Gus Edwards practicing, Baltimore will carry their two main players at the position to Cleveland with one of Melvin Gordon/Kenyan Drake promoted from their practice squad ahead of Sunday.
In the greatest possible of turnarounds, starting safety Marcus Williams returned to practice on Thursday after being out for nearly three weeks after exiting Week 1 with a torn pectoral muscle.
Williams opted to rest and rehab his injury without undergoing surgery, also forfeiting a placement on IR, and he's certainly returned much sooner than anybody would have guessed.
He was a full participant on Thursday, so even if he's limited or on some sort of pitch count on Sunday he should at least defend some snaps.
Ominous news for the Ravens concerning their Wide Receiver room
It's perhaps too early to wonder but... have we seen the latest play of Odell Beckham wearing Ravens' threads?
It's been six consecutive practices missed by the veteran receiver and Beckham already sat in Week 3 after leaving the game against the Bengals in Week 2. OBJ injured his ankle (which he had already injured before in his career) two weeks ago.
Beckham is already 30 and he's coming off an 18-month rehab of an ACL injury he suffered when still a member of the Los Angeles Rams in February 2021. The Ravens decided to pony up $15 million to land the WR but they've only had him for a game and change. Bad investment?
Rashod Bateman also missed Thursday's practice, adding more worries to the large bill of concerns already impacting the Flock.
Bateman suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and he's still recovering, although it's not quite clear if he'll make a comeback in time for Week 4 against the Browns.
Offensive linemen stay limited, three defensive starters missing
Finally, the two injured starters pertaining to the Ravens offensive line, C Tyler Linderbaum and OT Ronnie Stanley were able to practice for the second consecutive day albeit on a limited basis.
It's probable that both are out there on the field on Sunday, and the Ravens will surely benefit from that going against the no. 1 defense in the NFL by most metrics--and on the road, no less!
In less encouraging news, both edge rushers David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh missed one more practice on Thursday both nursing ankle injuries.
Judging by the decision of the Ravens to sign veteran OLB Kyle Van Noy earlier this week it's starting to look more and more probable that the transaction had to do with an expected mid/long-term absence by the second- and third-year pros going forward.
Marlon Humphrey (foot) looked hella pumped up just hours ago and was seemingly announcing his comeback in time for Week 4, but it feels like he will have to wait at least one more week after not having practiced for a month and a half.
The Ravens will most probably activate at least one of the two wide receivers that signed with the franchise's practice squad on Wednesday, along with Kyle Van Noy.