Jimmy Smith is having one of his best seasons, but he won't be in Baltimore's secondary Tuesday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
The veteran cornerback is inactive after leaving the game with a groin injury last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith didn't practice all week and will miss just his second game. Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams (thigh) is also inactive after playing a season-high 45 snaps in Pittsburgh and filling in nicely for Smith.
Third-year cornerback Anthony Averett was activated to the 53-man earlier Tuesday and will be available for the first time since being placed on the injured list Oct. 22 with a shoulder injury. Averett returned to practice Friday and his presence will help offset the loss of Smith and Williams. The Ravens also activated cornerback Pierre Desir from the practice squad to fortify their cornerback depth behind Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. Desir will make his Ravens debut after starting eight games with the New York Jets before he was released last month.
Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams are both active, giving a major boost to Baltimore's defensive line. Campbell has missed three games since injuring his calf Nov. 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, while Williams has missed the last two games with an ankle injury suffered Nov. 15 against the New England Patriots.
The presence of Campbell and Williams will help the Ravens defend Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, but the Ravens are lacking some of their normal depth along the defensive line. Rookie defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is inactive after being activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday. Rookie defensive tackle Broderick Washington (concussion) is inactive after being listed as doubtful. Without Madubuike and Washington, Justin Ellis and Jihad Ward could see more snaps in the defensive line rotation along with Campbell, Williams and Derek Wolfe, who has anchored the line in recent weeks.
Starting safety Chuck Clark (knee) and outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson (illness) are both active after not practicing all week. Clark and Ferguson have played every game this season.
In addition to Smith, Madubuike and Washington and Tramon Williams, undrafted rookie center Trystan Colon-Castillo is also inactive after making his first career start against the Steelers. Both centers who had started this season were on the Reserve/COVID-19 list last week, Patrick Mekari and Matt Skura, but they are back for this game.
For the Cowboys, starting offensive linemen Zack Martin (calf) and Cameron Erving (knee) and starting cornerback Anthony Brown (ribs) were all previously ruled out. In addition, inactive for Dallas are quarterback Ben DiNucci, wide receiver Malik Turner, safety Donovan Wilson, and defensive ends Bradlee Anae and Ron'Dell Carter.
