Baltimore Beatdown
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones returned to practice on Thursday, albeit in a limited capacity, offering some hope that he can play in Week 4 against the Chiefs.
With Nnamdi Madubuike sidelined indefinitely, Baltimore’s defensive line badly needs Jones to be healthy moving forward. He did struggle in Week 3, as the Lions targeted him with constant double-teams to take him out of the game. Their plan was largely successful, and the rest of Baltimore’s front seven couldn’t step up in Madubuike’s absence.
Jones will likely face a similar strategy if he plays on Sunday in Kansas City. It may be similarly tough sledding against Chiefs offensive linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, if not tougher with a banged-up knee. Still, Jones played through an ankle sprain last year, which reduced but didn’t tank his production. Even if he’s not quite at 100%, having him on the field would be important for the Ravens defense.
Here is the Ravens’ full Thursday injury report (* denotes change in status):
Limited participation
Did not participate
Stanley is still out, which would be a significant loss for Baltimore’s offensive line. Given his age and injury history, the team could be prioritizing rest, but he would likely need to practice in some capacity on Friday to play on Sunday.
If Stanley can’t go, the Ravens would turn to veteran swing tackle Joe Noteboom to protect Lamar Jackson’s blind side. The former Ram is an athletic, experienced blocker but has not displayed enough consistency in his career to earn a long-term starting job. That doesn’t bode well for Sunday, as Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis has primarily lined up over the left tackle in the last two games, per Pro Football Focus. He has 15 pressures already this year, tied for ninth among edge rushers, with two sacks and five tackles for loss.
Washington is still absent and is trending towards missing Sunday’s game. That will force the Ravens to elevate multiple defensive linemen from their practice squad, one of which will be Brent Urban. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens give C.J. Okoye a chance to make his NFL debut after flashing in the preseason, or go with one of the more experienced DTs they signed to the practice squad this week.
Van Noy will still be out for a few weeks, but he was working out on a side field during today’s practice, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
The Chiefs had only one change from their Wednesday injury report, upgrading defensive end Mike Danna to full participation. The remainder of their injured players all got in a full practice except for cornerback Kristian Fulton, who remains limited.
