WESTMINSTER — Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton remains sidelined with a high-degree strained left hamstring, and it looks doubtful that he’ll play in any of the remaining preseason games.
His return isn’t imminent as this is essentially a projected recovery of one month, which would have him back well in advance of the Ravens’ season opener Sept. 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Ravens are encouraged by Clayton’s progress, though, and the starting receiver was able to run pass patterns on a side field with increased speed and cutting ability on Thursday.
"Mark Clayton’s ahead of schedule," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The schedule was a pretty drawn-out deal with the hamstring pull that he had, so he’s not close to coming back. But he’s ahead of schedule."
Meanwhile, the outlook for cornerback Samari Rolle remains unclear due to a neck injury that prompted the team to send him to another specialist recently.
Rolle remains on the physically unable to perform list.
“I feel sorry for him," Harbaugh said. "I don’t know what the deal is. We’re just waiting. The doctors haven’t told us. So, we’re waiting to find out. I think they’re playing it very safe.
"Samari is going to be OK with a week or two of practice, as long as he’s lifting, running and doing the things he’s doing. Right now, we don’t know anything.”
Starting right offensive guard Chris Chester didn’t practice Thursday one day after straining his right calf, but it’s not regarded as serious. He was replaced in the lineup by Marshal Yanda, who has made a speedy recovery from three torn knee ligaments.
"He just strained his calf a little bit," Harbaugh said of Chester. "It kind of grabbed on him a little bit. Nothing major, but nothing we wanted to mess with."
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who’s limping slightly with a strained left heel and a tight Achilles’ tendon, said he doesn’t know when he’ll resume practicing.
"We’re very hopeful that he’ll be back soon," defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said.
Also not practicing: linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (sprained medial collateral ligament) and offensive tackle Stefan Rodgers (leg) and tight end Todd Heap (undisclosed).
Heap has been dealing with lower-back pain this offseason and during training camp.
Offensive tackle Jared Gaither has been practicing with a brace on his right wrist.
The Ravens gave several veterans ages 30 and over the day off, including middle linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive linemen Trevor Pryce, Kelly Gregg and Justin Bannan, free safety Ed Reed, wide receiver Derrick Mason and center Matt Birk. Birk observed the practice
KICKING INTRIGUE: Rookie kicker Graham Gano is expected to handle the kicking duties during the first half of Monday night’s preseason game against the New York Jets.
However, special-teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg indicated that no determination has been made at this point.
Last week against the Washington Redskins, Steve Hauschka hit both of his two field goal attempts from 21 and 37 yards while Gano went 1 for 2 with a 39-yard conversion and a miss from 28 yards as time expired following a high snap.
"I think this training camp has played out very much like we thought it would, because I think both of them have had ample opportunities and both of them have succeeded in a lot of opportunities," Rosburg said. "But they’ve also had some rough spots, and in my view, it’s exactly what we thought it was going to be. It was going to be a great battle, and it has panned out to be exactly that."
With Gano off Thursday, Hauschka missed field goals from 53 and 42 yards. He wound up getting on a roll, though, as he hit his last six tries.
The Ravens aren’t judging this one strictly by statistics.
“Makes and misses marks are the bottom line, but the way the ball tracks, the way it comes off their foot, the kind of lift they get,” Harbaugh said. “You can hit one through there, a worm-burner, and just cross the upright.
"We’re not too excited about that because it’s probably going to get batted down in real life. The way the ball tracks is really important, too, and we chart all that."
QUICK HITS: Outside linebacker Jarret Johnson turned in an acrobatic interception of quarterback Joe Flacco that was supposed to go to fullback Le’Ron McClain. … Cornerback Frank Walker intercepted a Troy Smith pass in the end zone. … The offense dominated a red-zone drill, scoring on all but three times out of eight attempts. … Harbaugh applauded Mason for his decision to wear the late Steve McNair’s No. 9 jersey in practice this season. "Derrick wearing No. 9 says a lot about Derrick," Harbaugh said "I wasn’t around to see the relationship between those two guys, but I think I know Derrick a little bit and I think it says a lot about the kind of person he is." … Harbaugh thoroughly enjoyed the team’s Military Appreciation Day, which was attended by roughly 500 military personnel. "It was amazing," he said. "It was really neat and it was fun."
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.
