Five Ravens Miss Practice
The practice field was a little less crowded for the Ravens Wednesday.
The team had five players sidelined with injuries, and one of them has already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
Left tackle Eugene Monroe (knee), outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (thigh), cornerback Jimmy Smith (knee, ankle), defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (knee) and defensive end Chris Canty (knee) all did not practice.
Monroe underwent knee surgery Wednesday, Head Coach John Harbaugh said, and he will miss "some number of weeks." Undrafted rookie James Hurst is expected to start in his place.
The severity of the injuries to Suggs, Canty and Smith is unknown. All of them played last week against Cleveland, but Suggs spent the final defensive series on the sideline. Suggs played 43 of the game's 61 snaps on defense.
"I'm alright," Suggs said Sunday. "We are going to check it out and find out what's going on, but I'm going to be alright."
Smith and Canty both left the game, but were able to return. Smith only missed one play before coming back into the game.
Jernigan did not play last week and has not practiced since the Ravens beat Pittsburgh on Sept. 11.
Pierce A Full Participant
While the Ravens are a bit banged up, the good news was that starting running back Bernard Pierce was a full participant after missing Sunday's game with a thigh injury.
Pierce first appeared on the injury report last week, and the thigh problem forced him to miss the first game of his three-year career. Running backs Lorenzo Taliaferro and Justin Forsett had a very strong performance in his place, as the Ravens rushed for a season-high 160 yards against Cleveland.
The Ravens could look to use all three running backs this week against the Panthers.
Panthers Thin In The Backfield
The Panthers are dealing with problems of their own in the backfield.
Fullback Mike Tolbert was placed on injured reserve this week, and running backs DeAngelo Williams (thigh) and Jonathan Stewart (knee) are dealing with injuries. Williams has missed the last two games, but he practiced fully Wednesday and looks like he could be ready to return Sunday.
"DeAngelo had a good day in practice," Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera said. "He took all his practice reps that he was supposed to, so I feel pretty good about it."
Stewart and fellow running back Fozzy Whittaker (thigh) both didn't practice. The other players sidelined Wednesday were linebacker Thomas Davis (hip), cornerback Charles Godfrey (ankle), safety Roman Harper and offensive tackle Garry Williams (back).
Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (thigh) was also listed on the injury report as a full participant.
