Ravens injuries: horrible David Ojabo news, 2 returns from IR, Marlon Humphrey update

Considering how busy the hospital of the Ravens organization has been throughout the first month of the season, it's fair to say that Baltimore finally caught (we hope) a break last Sunday when they defeated Cleveland and almost didn't lose anyone to a severe injury.

That last remark, though, is still a bit up in the air pending further updates coming on Wednesday, per Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh.

Let's get rid of the worst news first: second-year outside linebacker David Ojabo might make the decision to sit the remainder of the season following his ankle/knee injury in Week 3.

David Ojabo might have suffered season-ending injury

While it is still not clear what will happen next on the Ojabo front, Harbaugh said on Monday that the sophomore is deciding what to do next and how to approach his rehab process.

"He's still being evaluated. There are some decisions that have to be made, that he has to make, in terms of how he wants to approach the knee injury issues that he has." Harbaugh said.

The Ravens learned about Ojabo's injury last week, placed him on Injured Reserve ahead of Week 4, and signed veteran Kyle Van Noy in a rush to fill the open hole generated by the former Michigan Wolverine's absence.

Ojabo had struggled a bit through training camp and the start of the season, but that's also because of the sky-high expectations that most people had about the edge rusher.

The Michigan standout suffered an Achilles injury in his Pro Day and subsequently fell to the second round of the 2022 draft.

Ojabo appeared in just two games defending 21 combined snaps last year, and he logged one start over three games defending 83 snaps between Week 1 and Week 3 of the 2023 regular season.

Whatever decision Ojabo and the medical staff of the Ravens end up making, the pass rusher won't be able to play until Week 8 at the earliest following his placement on IR and the mandatory four-game absence that type of transaction carries with it.

OLB Tyus Bowser and RB Keaton Mitchell expected to train this week

On a positive note, Harbaugh also revealed that veteran edge rusher Tyus Bowser and UDFA rookie running back Keaton Mitchell are expected back training with the group midweek following their stints on IR to start the season.

"They have a chance to be (on the practice field)," said Harbaugh. "We'll see. We'll see how they look--if Eric [DeCosta] decides to put them on the practice field."

Harbaugh sounded positive about the return of the two now-recovered players, but he put the ball in DeCosta's court regarding the ultimate decision.

At the end of the day, Harbaugh can only play the hand he's dealt, and EDC is the man managing the roster so it's reasonable to expect the GM to make the final call, as the head coach said.

Harbaugh acknowledged that "based on [DeCosta's] conversations with the trainers, they're in the realm, I think, of possibly practicing."

If the franchise declares Bowser and/or Mitchell "cleared to practice," the Ravens will start a 21-day window in which they must be activated to the 53-man roster or placed on IR for the remainder of the season.

Bowser finished 2021 as the sack leader (7) of the team and he would be a much-welcomed addition to the ravaged pass rushing unit of Baltimore.

He didn't take part throughout summer training camp rehabbing his knee injury, so Bowser might need some sort of ramping-up period before hitting the field at full speed.

Mitchell went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft and ultimately snatched an RB4 role in the final 53-man roster of the Ravens before getting placed on IR to start the regular season. He suffered a shoulder injury in the second game of the preseason and he's yet to make it back to the gridiron since.

Marlon Humphrey "within the range" to make comeback

Finally, Harbaugh touched on the status of Marlon Humphrey after he missed the Week 4 clash at Cleveland last Sunday.

Humphrey suffered a foot injury in mid-August and both the player and the franchise opted not to place him on Injured Reserve, which would have forced him to miss the first four games of the season inevitably. That has come to happen anyway, which has raised some concerns.

Harbaugh said on Monday that Humphrey is "within the range" to return as the franchise originally planned.

Asked if his eventual return will imply changes in the secondary, mostly regarding current cornerback Branon Stephens, Harbaugh said he "expects [Brandon Stephens] to stay at corner."

With that statement, Harbaugh confirmed that Humphrey will return to the lineup as the CB1 on the secondary with Stephens retaining the CB2 role across the field following an impressive first month of play by the veteran.

"You can't say a date. He's in the range, so I'm hopeful he'll get back this week. I was hopeful he'd get back last week, and if it's not this week, it will probably be next week," said Harbaugh expanding on Humphrey's status.

"He's in the range right now, right in the area right now. So, we'll see what happens," the coach finished.

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