Ravens All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley is expected to play this week against the Houston Texans despite missing practice Sept. 16 with a hip injury.
Stanley is officially listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report, but head coach John Harbaugh said Stanley was a full practice participant Sept. 18 after being limited in practice the day before. That’s a positive development for an offensive line that has to contend with All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt and the rest of the Texans’ front seven.
Stanley has battled through nagging injuries throughout his career but has missed just three games during the past three seasons. He left the Ravens’ season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns last week with an ankle injury, though it was Stanley’s hip, not ankle, that landed him on the injury report this week.
Last year, he sat out one game with a concussion.
Stanley, 26, not only helped anchor the Ravens’ record-setting rushing attack in 2019, but he was also the league’s top-rated pass blocker according to Pro Football Focus. Stanley is playing out the final year of his rookie contract this season after the Ravens picked up his fifth-year option, available to the team since Stanley was a first-round draft pick.
Veteran D.J. Fluker, signed as a free agent this offseason, is the Ravens’ top backup tackle and replaced Stanley against the Browns.
Veteran defensive back Jimmy Smith (hip) also missed practice one day this week and is listed as questionable as well. Smith, who was added to the injury report hours before the season opener with back spasms, played 24 snaps in that game and recorded one tackle.
Running back Justice Hill, who missed extensive time in training camp with a hamstring injury but returned to practice this week, was also upgraded to questionable this week after being ruled out of the season opener. Hill figures to be the No. 4 running back behind Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, especially with all the time he missed this summer.
Wide receiver Chris Moore (finger) and defensive lineman Justin Madubuike (knee) missed practice all week and have been ruled out for the second straight week.
Here is the full final injury report:
RAVENS
OUT: DL Justin Madubuike (knee), WR Chris Moore (finger)
DOUBTFUL: None
QUESTIONABLE: RB Justice Hill (thigh), CB Jimmy Smith (hip), T Ronnie Stanley (hip)
TEXANS
OUT: None
DOUBTFUL: None
QUESTIONABLE: WR Brandin Cooks (quad), G/T Tytus Howard (ankle), RB Duke Johnson (ankle), ILB Peter Kalambayi (hamstring)
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