The Ravens are battling injuries as we reach the final stretch of preseason camp.
Left guard Jermaine Eluemunor and Ronnie Stanley became the latest players to go down with undisclosed ailments. It’s a tough break for Eluemunor, who played about 90 percent (60 snaps) of the game against the Packers and was mostly solid with his assignments, targets and footwork.
Right guard Marshal Yanda is being held out by coach John Harbaugh, but he will be ready for the regular-season opener.
This will force the Ravens to do some shuffling on the offensive line for the third preseason game against the Eagles.
The Ravens will likely line up with left tackle James Hurst, left guard Bradley Bozeman; center Matt Skura, right guard Ben Powers and right tackle Orlando Brown.This is an especially big opportunity for the rookie Powers to show he can be a viable part of the rotation.
Rookie first-round pick Marquise “Hollywood” Brown missed practice for the first time in a week, but this means he will have to wait to make his NFL debut.
Despite some absences of key players, Harbaugh is not overly worried about any long-term ramifications
“Nothing really concerning. Nothing major that I’m aware of at this time,” Harbaugh said. “As we know, that can change.”
Quarterback Lamar Jackson will play about the same number of snaps against the Eagles as he did Green Bay (22).
“A lot of teams do a lot more in the third game, but we kind of balance it out into three games,” Harbaugh said.
Several other players, most notably Kenneth Dixon, Shane Ray, Greg Senat and Gerald Willis, that are fighting for one of the final 53 roster spots made their way back onto the field for the second and final joint practice with Philadelphia.
[Related: 53-man Roster Prediction – NZI Style]
Dixon is having an uneven camp. He’s likely fighting for a fourth spot at running back if the Ravens decide to keep that many players with that unit. Dixon does not play special teams so that works against him. He finished with 14 yards on six carries (2.7 average) and caught a pass for nine yards. Overall, Dixon played 12 snaps, which was fewer than rookie Justice Hill (20), but the same as Gus Edwards, two players that will make the final 53-man roster.
After a mostly quiet start to camp, Ray performed better in the second preseason against the Packers. He played 20 snaps with one quarterback hit.
Defensive coordinator Don Martindale sees improvement. Still, Ray is likely going to have to beat out Tim Williams or Tyus Bowser to make the final roster.
“I thought Shane had more juice against Green Bay coming off the edge and working inside than what he did with Jacksonville. What he needs to do is stack that, take that next step here in Philadelphia. I think he’s getting his legs. In the dog days of training camp, it’s hard to do that, getting ready for games.
‘I think ‘Harbs’ [John Harbaugh] has done a great job for all the guys, getting ready for these Thursday night games. We’re starting to get in a little bit more of a rhythm, and I just expect him to improve, do better than what he’s done, and he did a pretty nice job. He did a nice job against Green Bay.”
