OWINGS MILLS, Md. — About 15 minutes after quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley took to the field with the Ravens for practice at the Ravens’ Under Armour Performance Center on Oct. 22, Lamar Jackson joined them, which sent TV cameras into overdrive and fueled speculation that the two-time MVP quarterback would return to action this week after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury.
But it was also notable that Rush and Huntley made most of the throws to receivers during the portion of practice open to the media, and Jackson’s availability for the Ravens’ game on Oct. 26 against the Chicago Bears is still in question.
Safety Kyle Hamilton, asked after practice how Jackson looked in his first practice in more than three weeks, noted, “I’m on the completely other field. I’m sure he looked good.”
Normally, the Ravens’ starting offense and starting defense square off in practice after the media-viewing portion of practice has ended. The fact that Hamilton was on a separate field from Jackson suggests that Jackson took part in throwing on a side field and not as part of full-team drills.
At his weekly Wednesday news conference after practice, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh offered no clarity about Jackson and his status for the Bears game, saying, “I really don’t have any shareable injury intelligence for you guys at this point.”
The Ravens (1-5), who have lost four straight games, face about as “must-win” a game as any in October can be as they hope to resurrect their flailing season. Injuries on both sides of the ball have hammered the Ravens, but Jackson’s absence has been most glaring.
In two games without Jackson, backup quarterback Cooper Rush led the Ravens to just one touchdown over seven quarters and committed five turnovers. Third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley relieved Rush in the final quarter of the Ravens’ 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6.
Harbaugh declined to say whether Rush would be the starter if Jackson can’t go against the Bears (4-2), who have won four straight after an 0-2 start.
“I don’t think I want to get into all that,” Harbaugh said, adding that there is “really no value for me to be making too many comments on that.”
Hamilton said that given the stunning hole the Ravens have dug — they were a trendy a Super Bowl favorite when the season began — every game has essentially become a playoff game.
“I think you can’t ignore the past, but we’re forward-thinking at this point,” Hamilton said. “We kind of have to be. Every game for us is a playoff game. That’s how it feels and how it’s going to have to be from here on out. We dug ourselves into a deep hole, but in order to get in the dance, we’ve got to really be locked in from here on out, so we’re trying to do that.”
NOTEBOOK
LINDERBAUM SAYS THERE’S NO LEADERSHIP PROBLEM: Speculation has grown during the Ravens’ 1-5 start that the Ravens suffer from a lack of leadership among the team’s veteran players, but center Tyler Linderbaum dismissed that idea.
“We have great leadership in the locker room,” Linderbaum said as he met with the media after practice Oct. 22. “[We have] a lot of veteran players, a lot of guys that have played a lot of good football and a lot of guys that hold each other accountable, so I don’t really see an issue in veteran leadership at all. Guys are happy and excited to still come in here and practice at a high level and perform at a high level. We just have to keep getting better and better and try to find ways to win football games.”
Asked about Harbaugh, Linderbaum said that he is “one of the best coaches in the league for a reason. He’s been doing it for a long time. At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility as players to go out there and play as hard as we can, no matter what the situation is.”
HARBAUGH: PLAYERS REMOVED LOCKER ROOM GAMES: A pinball machine, a ping-pong table, a basketball hoop and cornhole boards have been removed from the Ravens locker room, and reports surfaced this week that Harbaugh had the items removed after the team’s awful start. But Harbaugh described such reports as “inaccurate” and said players had made the decision to take those things out of the locker room. They were removed after the Week 4 game at Kansas City.
“I was informed of it after it was gone by the equipment guy,” Harbaugh said. “The veteran players, a couple of veteran players got together and decided they wanted to take that stuff out.”
E. JONES ADDED TO ROSTER, ROBINSON GOES TO IR: Rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones has been added to the 53-man roster, as his 21-day practice window expired Oct. 21, and in a corresponding roster move, outside linebacker Tavius Robinson has been placed on injured reserve.
Jones, a third-round pick out of LSU, has been on the Non-Football-Injury list while he recovered from shoulder surgery this spring. He did not take part in any OTA or training camp activities. Jones began practicing Oct. 1, which began a 21-day window after which he had to either be added to the 53-man roster or placed on season-ending injured reserve.
“We’re finally here after a long six, seven months, so I’m just doing everything I can to get on the field and help the organization out,” Jones said.
He added that he got essentially full clearance from his doctor yesterday and is ready whenever Harbaugh and the Ravens deem him ready to contribute. The former LSU tackle is viewed as a candidate at both guard and tackle with the Ravens and said he’s ready to play “whatever they need me to play, and whatever’s going to get me on the field. … Whatever spot opens up for me, I’m going to attack the opportunity.”
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