Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens placed outside linebacker Tavius Robinson on injured reserve and activated rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones from the non-football injury list, said head coach John Harbaugh on Wednesday.
Robinson suffered a broken foot against the Rams and is not expected back until late November at the absolute earliest. The 2023 fourth-round pick took a big step forward last year and was expected to be an impact edge defender this year after a strong offseason. Robinson does have two sacks (tied for the team lead, though that says more on the Ravens), two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble, but like many of his teammates, he has struggled with consistency. Still, the third-year defender has played a lot of snaps and his absence will be a loss for the defense, especially after trading Odafe Oweh in Week 6.
Jones was a third-round pick in April’s draft who has been on a long road to recovery since post-Combine shoulder surgery. He missed spring practices and training camp, but did start practicing as soon as he was eligible in Week 5. He has ramped up gradually with his first pass protection work coming last week and took up his full 21-day practice window before being activated.
Based on his college tape, Jones might have enough talent to take over a starting offensive line job by the end of the season, but that doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards. The Ravens have been stubborn about their line, and they would be most likely to make a change at guard, which would require a position switch for Jones. Even before that, he still needs some time to get up to 100% physically. It’s unlikely that he plays at all this year, but he should have a chance at a starting job next year, likely at guard. He’ll be a gameday inactive along with Carson Vinson for a few weeks and perhaps as long as the team’s other linemen are healthy.
