Owings MILLS, Md. — Ravens outside linebacker Adisa Isaac suffered ligament damage as well as a dislocated elbow in the Ravens’ second preseason game and will likely miss at least half the season, head coach John Harbaugh announced Aug. 18.
Isaac was injured on a kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys two days earlier, and at the time, Harbaugh had said the second-year linebacker would be out “for a few weeks at least.”
After Isaac underwent further testing, Harbaugh noted that Isaac also sustained ligament damage.
“If it had been a dislocated elbow, clean, it would’ve been about three weeks,” Harbaugh said. “But since it’s not, it’s going to have to undergo surgery. It’s not a season-ender, though. Maybe midway in the season, sometime, he’ll have a chance to come back.”
Isaac, a 2024 third-round draft pick, played in just four of 17 games as a rookie because of a pair of hamstring injuries. Now it looks as if his second season could be largely lost as well.
The Ravens can put Isaac on injured reserve at the 53-man roster cutdown and designate him to return, keeping him eligible to play this season. In a rule change this year, at the final roster cutdown, teams can place two players on IR with a designation to return. Players placed on IR before that are out for the entire season.
The loss of Isaac increases the chances that David Ojabo makes the 53-man roster. Isaac and Ojabo were thought to be competing for the team’s No. 5 edge spot behind Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson and rookie Mike Green.
The Ravens face the Washington Commanders in the preseason finale Saturday, Aug. 23, and then must cut the roster to 53 players by Tuesday, Aug. 26.
NOTEBOOK
SECONDARY SHORTHANDED: Three Ravens cornerbacks missed practice Aug. 18, and starting safety Kyle Hamilton appeared only briefly before heading inside. Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander, Chidobe Awuzie and Jalyn Armour-Davis all were absent, though Harbaugh said the injuries were “nothing serious in terms of season issues or even for the opener.”
Alexander, who has had a history of knee injuries in the past, has been out for more than a week. He missed a practice earlier in camp to address swelling in his knee, and Harbaugh said that Alexander was again dealing with knee issues.
“[He] had something, just to kind of take care of that knee,” Harbaugh said. “It’s something he’s been dealing with for a few years now, so it’s not anything we didn’t expect. … You have to take a couple of days after you do that before you can practice.”
Harbaugh said Armour-Davis, who started at Dallas but played just three defensive snaps, has been dealing with an illness.
With the secondary shorthanded, undrafted cornerback Keyon Martin and undrafted safety Reuben Lowery continue to get an extended look, and both have put themselvs into contention for a spot on the initial 53-man roster.
In addition to Isaac and the cornerbacks, others who missed the Monday workout in cooler than usual weather included fullback Patrick Ricard, wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Dayton Wade, tight end Isaiah Likely (foot), linebacker Kyle Van Noy and linebacker William Kwenkeu.
ROOKIE E. JONES NOT READY: Harbaugh said that rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones will not be ready for the regular season, so he will likely begin the season on the Non-Football Injury List. Jones, the Ravens’ third-round pick out of LSU, has been dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the spring and summer. At one point, Harbaugh had hoped Jones could return by the middle of training camp, but he said that the timeline on Jones has been extended.
Harbaugh said the surgeon wants to make sure Jones’ shoulder is “fully right, and that’s the way it should be. We respect that. And so, it’s going to take a little longer. So, we won’t be counting on him early on in the season.”
MITCHELL RETURNS: Running back Keaton Mitchell, who has been sidelined for the past week with a hamstring injury, was back on the practice field for the Ravens, though his day was abbreviated. He did some individual drills, then did some conditioning work on a side field before heading inside.
RAVENS SIGN CB T. GRAHAM: With the Ravens’ secondary room ailing, the team signed veteran cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., and he was on the practice field Aug. 18. Graham was a sixth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2021. He has played with the Bears, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers the past four seasons. He spent part of the 2024 season on the Steelers’ practice squad, appearing in one game.
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