OWINGS MILLS, MD. — Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey returned to practice Oct. 4 for the first time since undergoing foot surgery in mid-August. It seems unlikely the Pro Bowl cornerback will make his season debut at Pittsburgh this Sunday, but it is a major step forward for one of the leaders of the Ravens’ secondary.
In addition, wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman also returned to practice after being sidelined with injuries. Beckham has missed the past two games with an ankle injury and Bateman missed the Ravens’ win at Cleveland with a hamstring injury.
According to the team’s injury report from Oct. 4, Bateman participated fully in practice while Humphrey and Beckham were limited.
The Ravens (3-1) go to Pittsburgh with a chance for a clean sweep of AFC North road games after earlier wins at Cincinnati (27-24) and Cleveland (28-3). The Steelers (2-2), who could be without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett (knee), would move into a tie for first place with a win.
At the Ravens’ Oct. 4 practice, only three members of the 53-man roster did not take part: safety Daryl Worley (shoulder), tackle Morgan Moses (shoulder) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (ankle).
The injury to Moses remains a potentially major one, with All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley still working back from a knee injury that has cost him the past three games. Stanley practiced two days last week but then was ruled inactive for the Ravens’ 28-3 win against the Browns. He was a full practice participant Oct. 4.
Moses, the starting right tackle, left that game with an injury, leaving the Ravens with a pair of backup bookends on the line in left tackle Patrick Mekari and right tackle Daniel Faalele. This week, the Ravens will be facing a Steelers pass rush anchored by former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt.
Humphrey has been sidelined since mid-August when he underwent an operation on his foot. At the time, head coach John Harbaugh said the procedure was done then to minimize disruption during the season. Harbaugh on Monday dismissed any idea that Humphrey had a setback that cost him additional time, saying Humphrey is “in the range” that the team had always anticipated for his return.
In Humphrey’s absence, Brandon Stephens has stepped up in a big way. The safety-cornerback hybrid has started all four games at cornerback and totaled 28 tackles, the third-highest total on the team. He also has three passes defensed and this past week at Cleveland, he recorded his first career interception, which he returned 52 yards to set up the Ravens’ first score.
Harbaugh said this week that even after Humphrey returns, Stephens is expected to stay at cornerback. The Ravens could keep Stephens on the outside and choose to use Humphrey in the slot, or add Stephens to a rotation opposite Humphrey with Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin.
NOTEBOOK
JACKSON HAS SPOTTY HISTORY VS STEELERS: Quarterback Lamar Jackson once called the Kansas City Chiefs his “kryptonite,” but the Steelers have been something of a nemesis to him. Jackson has a career record of 1-2 as a starter against the Steelers, with four touchdown passes and six interceptions, including a pick-six. His passer rating against the Steelers is 67.4, his lowest mark against any team.
“I don’t think I’ve played my best against them yet,” Jackson said. He also noted that he has faced the Steelers just three times since becoming the Ravens’ starting quarterback. He missed the regular-season finale in 2019 as most Ravens starters rested for the playoffs, and he missed the 2020 game in Pittsburgh while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. He missed one Steelers game in 2021 and both meetings last season with injuries.
Still, Jackson knows this rivalry is unlike others.
“The atmosphere is different,” he said. “It’s more intense, more aggressive. Even in practice, guys [are] just getting pumped for this game.”
ROOKIE RB MITCHELL RETURNS TO PRACTICE: Undrafted rookie running back Keaton Mitchell returned to practice Oct. 4, beginning a 21-day window during which Mitchell, who is on injured reserve, must be added to the active roster. If that doesn’t happen, then he must stay on IR for the remainder of the season.
The former East Carolina running back opened eyes in training camp with his burst and explosiveness, and was one of two undrafted rookies to make the 53-man roster. (Baltimore native and outside linebacker Malik Hamm was the other.) But then Mitchell was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. By rule, he was ineligible to return to practice until after Week 4. With J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) and Mitchell sidelined, the Ravens have turned to veteran running backs Melvin Gordon and Kenyan Drake as practice squad additions.
Gordon has been elevated from the practice squad the maximum three times; if the Ravens want him to play again, they will need to add him to the 53-man roster. Harbaugh said, “We have to figure out the roster gymnastics of that right now.”
Gordon has appeared in two games (he didn’t play in one game in which he was elevated) with 13 carries for 53 yards. He also has three catches for 46 yards.
CLOSE CALLS: The past four games in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry have been decided by three points or less, and since John Harbaugh became Ravens coach in 2008, 24 of the 30 games between these teams have been decided by one score.
The road team won both games last year; the Ravens won in Pittsburgh, 16-14, and then the Steelers won in Baltimore, 16-13, after Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass to Najee Harris with 56 seconds left.
In the Harbaugh era, the Steelers hold an 18-15 lead in the series, including a 2-1 mark in the postseason and a 10-8 edge in Pittsburgh.
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