OWINGS MILLS, MD. — Ravens safety Marcus Williams suffered a dislocated wrist in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and will be placed on injured reserve, head coach John Harbaugh said on Oct. 10, adding that Williams will miss “a significant amount of time” but should return later this season.
Williams suffered the injury early in the Ravens’ 19-17 win against Cincinnati, and he “gutted it out” for awhile, Harbaugh said. Williams played 29 defensive snaps before medical staff examined him further and determined the severity of the injury.
Williams, the Ravens’ top free-agent acquisition this offseason, has been one of the team’s top defensive playmakers. He leads the team with three interceptions and five passes defensed and ranks second with 33 tackles. He also has a fumble recovery.
The Ravens made takeaways an offseason priority, which is one reason they signed Williams, 26, to a five-year, $70 million deal to patrol the back end of their defense. He has 18 career interceptions. Led by Williams, the Ravens already have eight interceptions, tied for the most in the league. They finished with nine last season.
That’s been a bright spot for a pass defense that also has been beset by miscommunication issues and surrendered late points in last-minute losses to the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens rank last in the league overall pass defense, allowing 290.2 passing yards a game.
By going on injured reserve, Williams be required to miss at least four games, but he is eligible to return later in the season.
With Williams sidelined, the Ravens will turn to either third-year safety Geno Stone or rookie first-round pick Kyle Hamilton to fill in. Stone took over for Williams against the Bengals, playing a season-high 35 snaps. Hamilton, the 6-foot-4 rookie who failed to beat out Chuck Clark for the starting strong safety job, has been playing a No. 3 safety role. Both Stone and Hamilton are likely to find themselves on the field extensively in Williams’ absence.
“They both have their own styles, and I think they’ll both play well for us,” Harbaugh said, “but they both have to step up and do a great job.”
Asked whether Stone’s style more closely matched that of Williams, Harbaugh said, “Geno is Geno, Kyle is Kyle, Marcus is Marcus. They have their strengths, and we’ll try to put them in position to make the most of their strengths, if we can.”
With the win against Cincinnati, the Ravens have taken over first place in the AFC North at 3-2, and visit the New York Giants (4-1) at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 16.
NOTEBOOK
HARBAUGH MUM ON STATUS OF BATEMAN, HOUSTON THIS WEEK: Harbaugh said it was too early in the week to know whether wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) or Justin Houston (groin) would be available when the team faces the Giants this coming Sunday.
Bateman has 11 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and he ranks second in the league with 22.1 yards a catch. He missed the Bengals game after being injured against Buffalo in Week 4. Houston, who has two of the Ravens’ 11 sacks, has been sidelined for the past two games.
“They might able to come back [this week],” Harbaugh said. “It’s just Monday. We’ll just have to see.”
HARBAUGH SAYS STANLEY DEBUT A “BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION”: Harbaugh said he liked what he saw from All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley in his first game action in more than a year. Stanley, sidelined for 31 of the team’s past 32 games because of a 2020 ankle injury that required multiple operations, made his long-awaited season debut against the Bengals and played about one-third of the offensive snaps, a phase-in plan that was by design.
“Ronnie was Ronnie,” Harbaugh said. “He felt good afterwards. He was strong, solid. He anchored really well. That was important with the ankle to see that. … So big, big step in the right direction for Ronnie.”
Harbaugh said it’s possible that Stanley and Patrick Mekari will continue to split time at left tackle, and that team’s training and medical staff will help determine Stanley’s availability going forward.
RAVENS SHUFFLE PRACTICE SQUAD RECEIVERS: The Ravens have signed wide receiver Andy Isabella to the practice squad and waived practice squad receiver Bailey Gaither. Isabella, 25, was a second-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 but never developed into a major part of the Cardinals’ offense. Isabella set career highs with 21 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games in 2020. Last season, he played in eight games and totaled just one catch for 13 yards. He was released by the Cardinals last week.
Gaither had been with the Ravens in training camp before being released, then rejoined the practice squad last week.
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