Veteran wide receiver/returner Deonte Harty is back on the practice field for the first time since suffering a knee injury in mid-October.
Harty has been designated for return from injured reserve, opening his 21-day practice window and putting him in position for potential action during the playoffs.
He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 19 and has not played since Week 6 against the Washington Commanders.
The 27-year-old Baltimore native and graduate of Archbishop Curley signed with his hometown team this offseason and has returned eight punts for 85 yards, and four kickoffs for 98 yards in five games.
Tylan Wallace, Steven Sims and Desmond King have all returned punts in Harty's absence, but Wallace and King had ball security issues. King had two punts hit the ground against the Steelers in Week 16.
Harty is the team's most experienced return specialist with 111 career punt returns and two touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2019 as a return specialist with the New Orleans Saints, when he led the NFL in punt return yards.
Asked last week about whether the Ravens' punt returner job was week-to-week, Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton brought up the loss of Harty.
"We know what we have, and it just became who's available to us," Horton said. "And if we can continue to add value at that position – which I think we've done over the past couple of weeks – we just roll with those guys. For us, it doesn't really matter who's back there. We know if we take care of our business, we're going to get the job done."
