The good news is that Ravens outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil is back on the field.
The no-so-good news is that he's not quite all the way back.
Dumervil played in his first game of the 2016 season in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders following a setback from an offseason foot-area procedure.
He logged 20 snaps and notched two quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus.
"I felt rusty," Dumervil said. "But I'm going to keep working, and we will get it going."
It's not surprising that Dumervil wasn't 100 percent in his first game back. He indicated last week that his body feels good, but that he's still working through some pain. It's been a pain-tolerance issue, and he felt well enough to suit up versus the Raiders.
"For the most part, it felt good," Dumervil said of his foot area. "We will see how I feel tomorrow, I just have to keep going and keep chopping."
Dumervil has led the Ravens in sacks the past two seasons. He notched six sacks last season and 17 the year before. With he and Terrell Suggs both back, Baltimore's outside pass rush should eventually take off. Suggs is also shaking off the rust after an Achilles injury wiped out nearly all of last season.
Dumervil didn't go through a full practice at all this offseason, and had just two weeks of practice leading into the Raiders game.
The Ravens didn't sack – or even hit – Oakland quarterback Derek Carr at any point during Sunday's loss. The Raiders offense is predicated on protecting Carr (they allowed just two sacks through the first three weeks), so it's not a total surprise, but the Ravens still would have wanted more pressure.
"Any team who wins the Super Bowl* *… you have to generate pass rush," Dumervil said. "As a pass rusher, you always want to look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'How can I get better?' and that's what I will do this week."
