Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday the team recently received "great news" about Crockett Gillmore and the third-year tight end "certainly" will be ready for the start of training camp in late July.
Last month, General Manager Ozzie Newsome told reporters Gillmore might not be ready for training camp because he was undergoing "surgeries" on both shoulders. The injuries were labral tears, Harbaugh said Tuesday.
"So a timetable was built that was going to take him into training camp because you can't do both at the same time," Harbaugh said. "Of course, I was pushing, 'you can do both at the same time, you can hire a nurse.' It was my idea. I stand by that idea. I got some funny looks from the doctors."
In the past two weeks, though, the Ravens learned Gillmore's situation has changed. The first surgery has occurred and now doctors "say the other one doesn't need to be done, so he's going to be fine probably for OTAs, certainly for training camp," Harbaugh said.
A 2014 third-round draft pick, Gillmore caught 33 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns as the Ravens' starting tight end in 2015. But he was hampered by shoulder injuries and went on injured reserve before the season ended.
He is now slated to back up Benjamin Watson, a veteran tight end signed by the Ravens in free agency two weeks ago. Harbaugh confirmed Tuesday that Watson is the starter.
"No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, I've never gotten into all that, but if you want to call him No. 1, absolutely," Harbaugh said of Watson.
Ravens Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman is fond of two-tight end sets, though, so there are plenty of snaps available for Gillmore and Maxx Williams.
