Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey will have foot surgery Wednesday, putting the Week 1 availability of one of the team's most indispensable players in question.
Head Coach John Harbaugh said he could not say how long Humphrey will be sidelined, but that "it's not going to be a long-term deal."
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the hope is Humphrey is back in a little more than a month. The Ravens open the season on Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans, than travel to Cincinnati for a key AFC North game on Sept. 17, which will be one month and one day after the surgery.
Humphrey practiced Tuesday on the first day of joint practices with the Commanders, but did not suffer the injury then.
"It's been a lingering thing and they took a look at it and said, 'You know what, that's something we want to take care of now instead of waiting,'" Harbaugh said.
The Ravens were already short-handed at cornerback with Rock Ya-Sin, the team's other projected starter, sidelined by a reported knee injury.
Jalyn Armour-Davis and Arthur Maulet (hamstring) have also not practiced since last week, Pepe Williams is undergoing ankle surgery and will be sidelined until October, and Trayvon Mullen may miss the entire season after getting toe surgery. Harbaugh said Armour-Davis is very close to returning and Ya-Sin is not as close as Armour-Davis, but still close.
"There's two levels of concern. The one level is long term. There's no long-term concern, and that's good," Harbaugh said. "Then, there's the short-term concern. There's plenty of short-term concern. We've got to look at that, and it starts with the guys you have. We have guys that are ready to play and now have an opportunity to get out there and continue to improve and get the reps. We'll see what they can do. And, of course we're always looking for players, too."
The Ravens' cornerbacks for Wednesday's joint practice with the Commanders were Kevon Seymour, Brandon Stephens, Tae Hayes (claimed this week), and rookies Kyu Kelly, Corey Mayfield Jr., Jordan Swann, and Jeremy Lucien.
"We want to send up some prayers for Marlo," Seymour said. "Marlo does a great job with his mindset and staying positive, so we're not worried about Marlo. We know he'll shake back probably quicker than what's expected.
"But this is next man up. We've been preparing all spring and all camp and we're confident in all our guys. It's not about one player. We're going to miss Marlo and his presence on the field, but it's more about the team and the scheme. We need all 11 players to execute the scheme. As long as everybody does their part, we'll be fine. We have some great guys on the field that can step up."
