Injury Report: Ravens Close To Full Strength As Game Against Jaguars Approaches
By Samuel Njoku
After two weeks of wait, the Baltiomre Ravens are finally ready to return to football. With a record of 2-6, chances of returning to the postseason are slim. But the Ravens have always been a second-half team, and they believe they have the players to get the job done. Whether or not those players are healthy enough to play is a separate issue entirely.
Jeremy Zuttah was a big question mark heading into this week because of his shoulder injury. John Urschel took over for Zuttah after getting injured against the San Diego Chargers. Urschel had issues snapping the ball to Joe Flacco during the game two weeks ago, and they've spent a good portion of practice rectifying that situation. But with Zuttah practicing without any limitation, it's a safe bet that he will suit up against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"[Zuttah] was out here today for the full practice," stated Ravens coach John Harbaugh. "I'm going to go back and look at the tape and see how he held up, standing and punching and all that kind of stuff. We'll see how he looks, but there were no setbacks during practice that I'm aware of."
That's a good sign for an offense that will need to put up points in bunches against the Jaguars.
Breshad Perriman doesn't posses the same luck of Jeremy Zuttah. In fact, you can say that he's just flat out unlucky. Perriman hasn't seen the practice field since the spring, let alone a football stadium. And now that he's ruled out of Sunday's game, he only has seven more chances to see the football field. Baltimore found speed with Chris Givens, but the Ravens want to know what they have with Perriman. They won't find out on Sunday.
Similar to Jeremy Zuttah, Crocket Gilmore and Eugene Monroe are both dealing with a shoulder injury, but both practiced fully and will also play against the Jaguars. Even though the Ravens have suffered catastrophic injuries to the offense, the unit will be as healthy as it can be on Sunday.
The Jaguars are a little more banged up than the Ravens are. WR Allen Hurns is dealing with a foot/thigh injury and is questionable to play along with WR marquise Lee, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. It would be a surprise if Hurns doesn't play, but his injury will limit him in some capacity on the football field. Tight end Julius Thomas is dealing with an abdomen injury, but will likely play as well. Thomas has had a difficult time getting acclimated with the Jaguars offense since returning from a hand injury that kept him out of the first four games of the season. With Baltimore's offense struggling to keep any offense in check, Jacksonville will likely use this opportunity to get him involved with the offense.
Probable:
Chris Canty, DE (Not Injury Related)
Crockett Gillmore, TE (shoulder)
Eugene Monroe, LT (shoulder)
Daryl Smith, ILB (Not Injury Related)
Tray Walker, CB (concussion)
Questionable:
Jeremy Zuttah, C (shoulder)
Out:
Breshad Perriman, WR (knee)
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
