OWINGS MILLS — Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata isn’t concerned about a sprained left ankle heading into Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The injury isn’t regarded as serious.
Ngata is now listed on the injury report with a knee injury, but twisted his ankle last week.
"It’s fine," said Ngata, who was limited in practice the past two days. "Just being precautionary. It doesn’t really bother me. I’m just being cautious and making sure nothing goes wrong with it."
Ngata, who has dealt with knee issues in the past, has never missed a start in three NFL seasons.
Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison declared that the injury won’t affect Ngata’s status for the opening game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Meanwhile, Pro Bowl special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo has aggravated a toe injury on his right foot that he first incurred early in training camp.
The inside linebacker was upgraded to full participation in practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday.
"It’s the same injury," said Ayanbadejo, who has played in 96 consecutive games. "Will I be able to play on it? Yeah. It’s a matter of what percentage I’m going to be on Sunday. Hopefully, I’ll be able to perform at close to 100 percent.
"If this were a preseason game, I wouldn’t play. Since it’s the first game of the year, I’m obviously going to play. Once the adrenaline kicks in, I should be playing pain-free I hope.”
Tight end L.J. Smith (pulled left hamstring) jogged on the side and didn’t practice for the second day in a row. He’s not expected to play against Kansas City.
Wide receiver Mark Clayton is expected to start after being sidelined during the preseason with a strained left hamstring.
He’s not expected to play the entire game, though, as Kelley Washington and Demetrius Williams will be substituting for him.
"Yeah, he’s healthy," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "He’s ready to go. Just like we’re running back by committee, we’re receiver by committee. We’re going to need all four of those guys. There may be a fifth guy, sixth guy show up in there."
Offensive guard Marshal Yanda is expected to play less than a year after tearing three ligaments in his right knee, but Chris Chester will probably get the start.
Yanda started the Ravens’ third preseason game against the Carolina Panthers and held up well.
“Absolutely, he’s really worked hard,” Cameron said. “I think he’s exceeded expectations, and he’ll play in the game to some degree.
"Basically, we’ve told everybody that’s active, they’re going to play. That’s the important thing. He’s worked hard. I think he deserves to play.”
Rookie inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (sprained right medial collateral ligament) was upgraded to full participation in practice.
HIGH BAR SET: As a rookie coach, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has a tough act to follow.
Especially after the Ravens made it to the AFC championship game during John Harbaugh’s first season and the Miami Dolphins claimed the AFC East title under Tony Sparano’s direction.
The Chiefs are trying to rebound from a 2-14 season that cost coach Herm Edwards and general manager Carl Peterson their jobs.
"I’m mad at coach Harbaugh," Haley joked during a conference call with Baltimore reporters. "He and coach Sparano, they’ve set the bar a little high, I think. What Baltimore was able to do last year and the turnaround, was a tremendous job by the whole organization, to bounce back after an off-year.
"But we’ve got a big job ahead of us, and we knew that coming in. We’re working hard every day to give the Chiefs the best chance to start winning football games."
TRYOUT: The Ravens worked out free agent punter Glenn Pakulak.
QUICK HITS: Former Ravens fifth-round tight end Davon Drew, who was cut by Baltimore during the final big roster cutdown and was claimed by the Miami Dolphins, received an injury settlement from the Dolphins. He’s now a free agent. … Special teams coach Jerry Rosburg said that he has advised rookie Graham Gano to remain prepared in case he’s needed by the Ravens or another NFL team after being beaten out by Steve Hauschka. ""My advice to Graham is to stay ready," Rosburg said. "It’s really what he needs to do in this situation. A lot of teams are exploring their own kicking situations, and as the season unfolds, stay ready. I think he’s an NFL kicker and can just wait for the next opportunity." … Rosburg expressed confidence in Hauschka’s ability to handle the kicking duties for an entire NFL season. "Steve’s a strong young man," Rosburg said "He’s strong mentally, he’s a bright guy, and he understands what he has to do. And the benefit he has is that he’s been through a season already now on a roster. Even though he wasn’t the primary field goal kicker, at least he’s had the opportunity to go through it and feel it. And I think that will really be to his benefit.” … Rosburg said the team isn’t concerned about long snapper Matt Katula after a few high snaps during the preseason. "We have a lot of confidence in Matt," Rosburg said. "Matt has proven that he’s a very accurate snapper. Things happen during the course of the preseason. I don’t foresee any problems with Matt’s snapping." … Mattison said that Frank Walker will operate as a backup cornerback and a backup nickel back. Reserve cornerbacks Chris Carr and Lardarius Webb are expected to see action behind starters Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth. "Frank is a big part of our secondary," Mattison said. … Ellerbe drew praise from Mattison after making the team as an undrafted free agent despite being sidelined with a knee injury for the majority of the preseason. "Obviously, he was an outstanding player and he did a great job in camp and showed that he can be a Ravens defensive player," Mattison said. "That’s why he’s here."
