OWINGS MILLS, MD. — Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh returned to practice on Oct. 18, the first time the former first-round pick has been on the field since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 at Cincinnati.
“He’ll take a lot of reps, I’m sure, as much as he can [with] where he’s at health-wise,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “We have a bunch of guys rotating in now. … It’s a good group, and it’s great to have Odafe back.”
The Ravens have been hit hard by injuries at outside linebacker this year, with Oweh, Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo all missing time. Bowser has not played all season and remains on the league’s Non-Football Injury list because of an offseason injury, and Ojabo has been out for the past three games with ankle and knee injuries. He has been placed on injured reserve.
With those injuries, the Ravens have turned to free agents Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, but getting Oweh back would help lessen the load on those veterans, who have quickly made an impact. The Ravens would like to limit their snap counts so they don’t wear down over the course of the season.
Clowney had a pair of sacks in the Ravens’ 24-16 win against Tennessee in London on Oct. 15, and he’s tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks. He has 13 tackles and a team-high nine quarterback hits. But Clowney was hobbling by the end of the Titans game, and he sat out practice Oct. 18, watching from the field in uniform.
Clowney met with the media after practice Oct. 18 and said he has felt rejuvenated coming to Baltimore as a free agent this year.
“I want to show these guys [that] I’ve still got talent left and a lot of game left,” he said.
Van Noy, signed just three weeks ago, has two tackles and recorded his first sack as a Raven in the win against Tennessee.
Oweh, projected this summer to be one of the Ravens’ top edge rushes has three tackles, no sacks and four quarterback hits this season.
The Ravens (4-2) host the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions (5-1) at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.
NOTEBOOK
WILLIAMS SIDELINED: Safety Marcus Williams was not on the practice field as he is dealing with a hamstring injury sustained in the win against Tennessee. Harbaugh on Monday had called Williams “week to week” and said it was “iffy” whether he would be able to play this week when the Ravens host the Lions, who at 5-1 boast the best record in the NFL. Defensive back Kevon Seymour (ankle) and defensive end Brent Urban (neck) also missed practice.
To bolster the safety position with Williams hobbled, the team signed safety Andrew Adams to the practice squad. Adams, who turns 31 next week, started 11 games with Tennessee last year and also played with the New York Giants (2016-2017) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018-2021).
BECKHAM SAYS SCUFFLE STARTED AFTER DEFENDING FLOWERS: Odell Beckham Jr. got into a postgame tussle with Tennessee defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, with team security ultimately summoned to separate the players, according to cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who relayed the scene on his podcast.
During the game, Simmons appeared to take a late shot at the legs of Zay Flowers after Flowers had made a catch and was already stood up by two defenders. Beckham took exception, and he and Simmons got into a shoving match at the time. Simmons was penalized after Beckham fell to the turf.
According to Humphrey, the scuffle continued after the game with the players and coaches already headed to the locker room. Harbaugh said at his Wednesday news conference that he had not known about the postgame dustup.
Talking at his locker after practice, Beckham said, “We’re out here playing football. This is not MMA. … I watched him look at the play, and then look at Zay’s legs, and try and, like, dive on him, and I just didn’t like that. I’m going to protect him. This is my guy. This is my lil’ bro. Love him to death. I’m going to always have his back, period.”
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