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Ravens Promote 10 From Practice Squad

December 2nd, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ravens warmups featured Robert Griffin III taking snaps from Trystan Colon-Castillo, who will play his first NFL game. But Baltimore promoted a host of reinforcements that will provide depth at other positions.

The Ravens elevated 10 players from their practice squad ahead of Tuesday’s game, filling out a roster decimated by the coronavirus and the NFL’s virus protocols.

Using the COVID-19 replacement designation, the Ravens elevated linebacker Aaron Adeoye, defensive tackle Aaron Crawford, tight end Sean Culkin, quarterback Tyler Huntley, long snapper Nick Moore, offensive lineman R.J. Prince, defensive end Chauncey Rivers, tight end Eric Tomlinson, running back Ty’son Williams and tight end Luke Willson. They also added safety Geno Stone to the reserve/COVID-19 list.

This extensive batch of pregame moves will supply the Ravens with a third-string quarterback and running back depth. Lamar Jackson is one of 17 players still on Baltimore’s reserve/COVID list, forcing today’s visiting team to promote nearly its entire practice squad. The team activated Trace McSorley from the virus list Tuesday, and Huntley — a rookie UDFA — will play behind he and RG3. Williams will slide in behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, with Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins ruled out.

But the Ravens’ point-of-care coronavirus tests came back negative Wednesday. After three postponements and 10 straight days of Ravens positive tests, the NFL’s first Wednesday game in eight years (and second in the past 60 seasons) is a go.

Latest On Ravens’ COVID-19 Situation

December 2nd, 2020 at 10:08am CST by Zachary Links

Despite being eligible to come off of the COVID-19 reserve list, Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins will not play today against the Steelers, according to NBC’s Michelle Tafoya (Twitter link via Andrew Perloff of The Dan Patrick Show). The Ravens will be well-set with Gus Edwards in the backfield, but they’ll still be severely shorthanded for their afternoon tilt. 

At least 12 Ravens players have tested positive for the coronavirus, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Safety Geno Stone was among the latest to test positive for COVID-19 — a troubling development since he was not previously categorized as a “high-risk close contact.”

As Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun notes, the Ravens will be conducting point-of-care tests prior to kickoff in order to screen any possible new cases. And, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter), the NFLPA will be keeping a watchful eye on those results. The union is not opposed to the game being played today, but they may push back against the league if the spread continues.

Two More Ravens COVID-19 Positives Emerge

December 1st, 2020 at 6:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens are currently en route to Pittsburgh, but after an earlier report indicated the team did not see additional positive COVID-19 tests emerge Tuesday, it appears the team still has cases spawning.

One Ravens player and one staffer tested positive, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The Ravens previously identified these two individuals as “potential positives,” Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

These latest cases notwithstanding, the Ravens’ 2:40pm CT Wednesday game against the Steelers remains a go. All players and staffers will undergo another coronavirus test Wednesday. The Ravens have now had a positive COVID test for 10 straight days. More than 15 players still reside on Baltimore’s reserve/COVID list.

While the Ravens did bring four players off their virus list Tuesday, they left two assistant coaches — offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and running backs coach Matt Weiss — in Baltimore prior to takeoff. The unnamed staffer who submitted a positive virus test, however, is not believed to be a coach, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). It is not known which Raven player is the franchise’s latest positive test, though Breer notes the player is a backup. Neither the staffer nor the player obviously traveled with the team Tuesday night.

No NFL team placed any players on the reserve/COVID list Tuesday, marking an encouraging and somewhat surprising — considering recent events — development for the league. Wednesday’s game will commence without several key players — including Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews and James Conner — but the NFL has been dead-set against using one of its end-of-season contingency plans and postponed this game three times in order to keep it on the Week 12 docket.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/20

December 1st, 2020 at 4:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Browns Place S Ronnie Harrison On IR, Activate Myles Garrett

December 1st, 2020 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have activated defensive end Myles Garrett from the reserve/COVID-19 list. To make room on the roster, they’ve placed safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

Garrett was leading the NFL in sacks up until he was placed on the reserve list in November. After missing the last two games, his 9.5 sacks are still good for a second-place tie with Saints DE Trey Hendrickson. Rams star Aaron Donald now leads the pack with ten sacks.

The Browns have managed to stay hot without Garrett, beating the Eagles and Jaguars over the last two weeks. Now, they’ll have him back on the field just in the nick of time for this week’s game against the 8-3 Titans.

Harrison, 23, has been first string for the Browns since Week 5. Unfortunately, he went down on the very first play against the Jaguars — his former team — and his MRI revealed a serious tear. It’s just the latest blow to a Browns secondary that has also lost safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Greedy Williams to injury. Despite it all, the Browns are 8-3 and on track to snap the NFL’s longest playoff drought.

Ingram, Dobbins May Return Vs. Steelers

December 1st, 2020 at 10:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens’ roster has been decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak, but help may be on the way. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram will not fly with the team to Pittsburgh today, but the expectation is that they will fly tomorrow, in time to suit up for the Wednesday game against the Steelers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 

[RELATED: Ravens-Steelers Moved To Wednesday]

The league’s COVID protocols mandate a 10-day isolation period, and today marks Day 10. Had the game taken place on Thursday night as originally planned, or postponed to Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night (tonight), they would have been ineligible. The third — and, hopefully, final — postponement of the game has given them an opportunity to face the Steelers.

The Ravens running backs learned of their positive tests on Nov. 23. A number of Ravens players, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson, tested positive for the coronavirus in the days that followed. The Ravens are still working with a half-strength offense, but the presence of Ingram and Dobbins should help.

Before the positive, Dobbins registered 5.3 yards per carry for Baltimore. Ingram, meanwhile, is itching to get back on the field — he’s played in just eight games so far, thanks to an October injury.

No team placed a player on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, and Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets the Ravens’ string of positive coronavirus tests stopped at eight. The thrice-rescheduled Ravens-Steelers rematch is a go for Wednesday afternoon. While this will not be finalized until the AFC North teams receive test results Wednesday, the Ravens are scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh at 7:15pm ET.

Ravens – Steelers Game Moved To Wednesday

November 30th, 2020 at 4:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Ravens/Steelers game is getting postponed, again. This time the game is being moved from Tuesday to Wednesday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Ravens players were apparently pounding the table asking for the game to be pushed, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets they recently held a players-only meeting where they were “adamant” of getting in a full day of practice before the game. Considering they haven’t been able to practice at all since this has been going on, their concerns of health-risks from playing with no prep are certainly understandable.

This will be only the third NFL game in history on a Wednesday, and just the second since 1948. The last time was Dallas and Washington playing the opening week of 2012. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com had tweeted earlier that there were fears some Ravens players would refuse to play on Tuesday “which technically would be a wildcat strike.” Florio wrote that would cause a major rift between the NFL and NFLPA. Multiple reporters tweeted out that Baltimore would now have a walkthrough practice tonight at their facility.

It’s unclear if the move to Wednesday will solve all of those issues. Some players still have concerns even with playing on Wednesday, Mark Maske of The Washington Post tweets. He adds that there are “still some deliberations occurring.” The league is clearly very reluctant to cancel the game and trigger a Week 18.

This is likely just the first domino to fall, as Sunday’s Washington/Pittsburgh game will now likely have to be moved, potentially to Monday. A source soon confirmed to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link) that the Washington game is indeed being moved to Monday, giving us a triple-header for MNF next week. It’s a crazy situation, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as more info comes in.

49ers To Play Home Games In Arizona

November 30th, 2020 at 12:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers have officially come up with a plan after Santa Clara county officials barred them from playing at home. The team will play their home games in Arizona at the Cardinals’ stadium for the rest of the year, they announced Monday.

“The San Francisco 49ers have come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona,” the release reads. “Information regarding the 49ers future practice arrangements will be shared at the appropriate time.”

We heard yesterday that a stadium in Texas was also a possibility, but that the league office preferred they play in an NFL arena. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after his team’s game yesterday that it was “extremely disappointing” the county didn’t give them more notice, and that they were essentially blindsided by the announcement.

The 49ers also have a home game in Week 17, although since it’s more than three weeks away (the timeframe of the halt in Santa Clara county), they may still be able to play that one in their normal stadium. As their statement says it’s unclear what they’ll do for practice, although NFL Network reported over the weekend that the team might just get a hotel in Arizona and form a bubble of sorts out in the desert. It’s a tough situation for the players and their families, who will likely now have to be separated for the time being.

NFL Cancels Ravens Practice

November 30th, 2020 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL canceled the Ravens’ Monday morning practice, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Their game against the Steelers has been postponed twice and it’s far from certain that it’ll actually take place on Tuesday night.

The Ravens haven’t practiced in over a week due to their COVID-19 outbreak and they’re severely shorthanded. Sunday’s round of testing revealed multiple player and staff positives, marking eight straight days of unfortunate results. Wide receiver Willie Snead was among the latest, and star quarterback Lamar Jackson is out of the equation too. It’s worth noting that the Steelers have also had their fair share of COVID-19 issues. Over the weekend, the Steelers learned that they’ll be without special teams coordinator Danny Smith and quarterbacks coach Matt Canada.

Meanwhile, the Ravens players who are available for the game may have a tough time getting to the game. As of this writing, forecasts indicate that Pittsburgh could get up to six inches of snow. A third postponement of the game may prompt the NFL to reschedule the game all the way to a newly created “Week 18” or cancel it entirely.

Ravens’ Mark Andrews Tests Positive For COVID-19

November 29th, 2020 at 11:36am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has tested positive for COVID-19, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Andrews, a Type 1 diabetic with elevated risk, has ben ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Steelers. 

Andrews is now the eleventh Ravens player to test positive for COVID-19 and the 20th player to hit the reserve list, which also includes players who have been exposed to the virus. In addition, ten Ravens staffers have tested positive, putting the team under a great deal of scrutiny. For now, the plan remains for the game to be played on Tuesday, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Ravens intend to have their players return to the facility on Sunday night for conditioning, marking their first in-person gathering in days.

The league already postponed this game twice. A third postponement may lead the league to one of their two contingency plans — either rescheduling to “Week 18” or, if there are more cancelations, a historic 16-team playoff bracket.

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