The Baltimore Ravens are 1-0 after beating Houston 25-9 in Week 1, but it is hard for fans to get too excited because of all of the injuries that occurred throughout the game and even leading up to the game.
A team that has struggled to stay healthy has once again struggled to stay healthy, and now it faces pressing decisions to make as soon as possible.
So, what are the most recent updates on these players and what do they mean? Here is our breakdown of the latest information shared by John Harbaugh on the Ravens' injured players.
6. Could the Baltimore Ravens get Marlon Humphrey back this week?
Marlon Humphrey was expected to miss week one, but the initial report of his injury was that he had a chance for week two. John Harbaugh said that Humphrey will have a chance to play this week. The practice reports will be a huge indication, but if Humphrey is not back this week there is a real chance that he will be back in week three.
The Ravens elected not to place him on the injured reserve, which meant that they expected him to play within the first four weeks of the season. So, we could see Humphrye eased back into the practice sessions this week with eyes on week three.
The Baltimore Ravens started Ronald Darby and Brandon Stephens this week. Darby played 64 snaps, and then Rock Ya-Sin came in for eight snaps late in the game while Stephens played at 72. Harbaugh expanded on the split.
John Harbaugh was asked about the amount of snaps that CB Ronald Darby played: "I thought he played really well. If the underlying question is, 'Did you want to play him that much, and will you play him that much going forward?' We've got a good in Rock [Ya-Sin] also. He just…
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) September 11, 2023
So, Ya-Sin should practice much more this week as well. There is a good chance that by week three, it is Rock Ya-Sin and Humphrey on the outside, but in week one, they combined for eight snaps.
However, this week you may see Stephens and Darby start, with Ya-Sin shuffled in for Darby.
5. How long will the Baltimore Ravens lose Marcus Williams?
Marcus Williams played just 24 snaps on Sunday, and but left with a pec injury. The Ravens have said that they believe he will be out for a while, but did not say the exact timetable. However, the thought is that he will not miss the entire season. The fact that the entire season is on the table shows you that this will be a significant injury with a longer timetable than fans want to hear.
Williams missed seven games last year with a wrist injury. This is frustrating for fans, Williams, and the Ravens because Williams has been an excellent signing when he has been healthy, but that has not been consistent enough. Williams also suffered an injury early into the season last year, so it has always impacted the flow of his progression into the defense.
Geno Stone played 60 snaps due to the Williams injury. The thought is that we will see plenty more of Stone. However, the Baltimore Ravens may also have to make some more roster moves. They had three safeties on their roster before the Williams injury. They called up Daryl Worley from the practice squad this week, and he has a few more elevations.
Still, now he is a third safety, and if this injury does take a while, they will eventually have to get him on the active roster. This could be the move that is made in sequence with Williams heading to the IR. It sounds like that will be the case.
The Ravens also have Brandon Stephens, who was supposed to move from cornerback to safety this year but ended up starting at safety. If Rock Ya-Sin or Marlon Humphrey can come back this week, they could shift Stephens back to safety. This will be worth watching.
4. What is the Baltimore Ravens plan after J.K. Dobbins is out?
This one is a bit more obvious than the first two. Humphrey will be back in a week or two. Williams will be back; we do not know when. Dobbins will miss the entire season. Now, the question is what will happen.
When Dobbins left the game, the split was nearly even. Justice Hill played 52% of the snaps, but had seven carries, while Gus Edwards played 48% and ended up with eight carries. So, it is hard to say who has the lead in this one.
However, you could think that Hill would be. If we go back to the preseason, when Dobbins was out, Hill started over Edwards. Edwards has a role as a downhill runner, whereas Hill and Dobbins bring a speed element that can stretch runs outside.
So, as they did in the preseason, Hill would back up Dobbins, and then Edwards would always stay in this role. This makes sense and could be what we see moving forward. The split was more even last week because the Ravens had the lead and wanted to put the game away with Edwards. We will see if this is what happens.
3. Will the Baltimore Ravens lose Ronnie Stanley this week?
Ronnie Stanley simply cannot stay healthy now. The last time he was healthy for a full year was before the world changed during a pandemic. This summer was the first time since 2019 that he was able to spend an offseason healthy and working on his game, and not rehabbing.
Then, Stanley got hurt again in week one. This time, it was a knee sprain. This is devastating for a player who has not been able to put together a full slate of health in a long time. The Ravens have not declared him out this week, and there is a chance that he can avoid the IR. However, the Ravens have been so cautious with him, and they would hate to risk him making it worse, so it seems hard to think of him suiting up for week two against the Bengals.
When Stanley went down, it was Patrick Mekari who came in to play left tackle. Mekari has typically held down that role in recent years, and they sat him in the preseason, knowing that this moment could come.
2. What is the update on Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum?
With just five snaps to go in the blowout game, Tyler Linderbaum tweaked his ankle. You would have never thought to sit him or anything, but that still hurts, given the time and nature of the injury. Linderbaum is considered week-to-week, which means that the odds are he will not be playing against the Bengals.
Between Linderbaum and Stanley, you would think that the Ravens would be more cautious with Stanley due to his long history of issues. So, maybe we will see Linderbaum practice with a chance to play, but the odds of him missing a game or two are the most likely scenarios.
With Linderbaum out, the Ravens have to turn to Sam Mustipher. The Ravens kept Mustipher on the practice squad, and he has a few more elevations, but they probably cannot risk it. The Ravens do not want to lose him by moving him back to the practice squad and will need to place one of Stanley or Linderbaum on the IR to open a roster spot for him. Look for that to happen soon.
1. Will Mark Andrews return for the Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews missed week one with a concerning quad injury. The injury was a bit surprising, and there was a chance he was going to play up until Saturday, but the Ravens wanted to save him until he was completely healthy.
With Andrews out Isaiah Likely played 46 snaps while Charlie Kolar played 13 snaps. There was a thought that Kolar may start to get more involved this year, and it was not bad to ease him in with the loss of Andrews. However, of all of these names, the odds are that Andrews is most likely to play this week. First, the team needs him. Likely is more of a secondary tight end, and Andrews could open more for the receivers.
He almost played this week, and with the other injuries, the team may want him back. Look for him to practice soon.