Safety Ed Reed made a surprising announcement during a radio interview Wednesday night by saying that he has a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Reed originally indicated the injury may be affecting his play, but he said Thursday that he's not concerned.
"We knew it's nothing to worry about," Reed said. "It is what it is. The last few weeks I've been dealing with it. I'm not a pitcher, I'm not throwing anything."
Against the Cowboys Sunday, Reed showed signs that his shoulder might be bothering him when he missed a couple of tackles.
But the future Hall of Famer isn't worried about his tackling and said that he's played through the injury for at least the last four games.
"Yeah, I'll be alright," Reed said when asked if he was confident in his tackling ability. "The New England game I was able to tackle. Games after that I was still making tackles. I missed a few, but it happens."
By disclosing the injury, teams could look to exploit it by targeting him more in the passing game.
Since quarterbacks traditionally throw away from Reed because of his ability to notch interceptions, the All-Pro invited that strategy.
"Target Me. Throw it. Come on," he said. "Either way it go, I'm on the field, I got to do my job. They know that."
Reed has not been listed on the injury report since Week 2 when he had a hamstring injury, which means that he has been a full participant in practice.
"I don't know why I don't go on [the injury report]," Reed said. "I'm sure a lot of guys have been through this league and had injuries and it's not reported. That's the physical part of this game and the part of the game that the fans and [media] know nothing about."
The Ravens head into Sunday's game against the Texans already dealing with season-ending injuries to Lardarius Webb and Ray Lewis, and a knee injury to Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata. The injury bug has hit the defense hard, but Reed does not expect the shoulder problem to hinder him.
"I'm physically alright," Reed said, "but it is what it is."
