Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley was on the practice field Thursday during the portion open to reporters, just one week after being carted to the locker room with a knee injury in Cincinnati.
Baltimore's injury report Thursday listed Mosley as a limited participant. His status for the Ravens' home game Sunday against the Denver Broncos remains undetermined. At the least, Mosley's appearance at practice is a positive sign that his bone bruise may not keep him out for a lengthy period.
Mosley ran and took part in some individual drills. How his knee responds to Thursday's activity will also factor into whether he plays Sunday.
Mosley has been a durable player, missing just two games over his first four NFL seasons. He's a tough guy.
One of the NFL's top linebackers and a three-time Pro Bowl selection, Mosley is a key to the Ravens defense. They Ravens lost both games in 2016 when Mosley was sidelined, and they gave up four consecutive touchdown drives against the Bengals last week as soon as Mosley left the game. He is a leader both on the field and in the locker room, and when he is healthy, Mosley is the team's signal-caller on defense. Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale said it was a major adjustment for players when Mosley departed the Bengals game.
"Losing C.J. after the first three-and-out, that set us off balance a little bit, just like it would be if, I guess, your computers crashed or something right in the middle of a story that you're writing," Martindale said. "It took us time to get our thoughts together on how we were going to attack it, and I thought we did a much better job in the second half of the Cincinnati game."
Patrick Onwuasor and Kenny Young took over as the starting inside linebackers in Mosley's absence, and veteran inside linebacker Albert McClellan was re-signed this week to add depth. Meanwhile, the Ravens will hope Mosley's recovery continues to trend in a positive direction with the Broncos Sunday and rival Pittsburgh Steelers on deck.
In other injury news, running back Alex Collins (illness) was a full participant Thursday after missing Wednesday's practice. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce (foot) missed a second straight day. Linebacker Matthew Judon (hamstring) and tackle Ronnie Stanley (elbow) were limited again. Tight end Hayden Hurst (foot) and defensive tackle Willie Henry (abdomen) are still sidelined.
