Hill Done After Knee Tears, Ravens Have Faith in Jean-Baptiste
The Ravens have lost another cornerback, as Jaylen Hill tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee in Saturday's win over the Indianapolis Colts, Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed Tuesday.
Hill will join Jimmy Smith, who tore his Achilles three weeks ago, and Tavon Young, who tore his ACL during Organized Team Activities, on injured reserve.
The undrafted rookie, who shined in training camp and the preseason, was not getting many defensive snaps behind Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey, Maurice Canady and Lardarius Webb. The last time he saw a defensive snap was in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
When he was active, Hill was mostly contributing on special teams. He recovered Michael Campanaro's muffed punt earlier in the game against the Colts and went down without contact later while covering a punt.
"Just unfortunate for him," Harbaugh said. "But he's a tough young man, really working hard on special teams, developing as a defensive guy. He's a developmental guy for us with a real bright future, but he'll have to go to work to rehab that injury. That was a tough one for him and for us."
Harbaugh said the Ravens will look into whether they should add another cornerback to the roster, particularly on the practice squad. He said practice squad cornerback Robertson Daniel is ready to play and also pointed to Stanley Jean-Baptiste as a potential replacement.
Baltimore signed Jean-Baptiste, a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2014, to the practice squad on Oct. 3. They promoted him to the active roster two months later after Smith's injury, but he has yet to see any game action.
"I have a lot of faith in Stanley," Harbaugh said. "I think he's practiced really well and I expect him to come in and play at a high level."
The Ravens brought wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo up from the practice squad to fill the open roster spot.
Maclin Has a Chance to Play This Week
Even though the Ravens brought Adeboyejo up to the 53-man roster, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin could play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Harbaugh said.
Maclin missed Saturday's game against the Colts because of a knee injury, but is making progress in his rehabilitation.
Chris Moore (two catches for 29 yards), Michael Campanaro (two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown) and Breshad Perriman (two catches for 14 yards) did a nice job Saturday with Maclin sidelined, but the Ravens are still eager to get Maclin back.
Maclin (440 yards) is third on the team in receiving yards behind wide receiver Mike Wallace (708) and tight end Benjamin Watson (461) and tied with Wallace for the second-most receiving touchdowns (three).
"It's just a rehab thing; I don't think there's going to be any major updates – it's a healing issue," Harbaugh said. "Jeremy has always been a quick healer; that's a good thing. It will be maybe this game. I think he has a chance, but we just have to see as we get closer to game time."
Harbaugh Talks About Pass Rush vs. Colts
Ravens fans were likely expecting a barrage of sacks against the Colts considering they entered the game with the most sacks allowed in the NFL and were banged up on the offensive line.
However, Baltimore's defense struggled to get pressure at times and netted just two sacks overall.
After watching the film, Harbaugh said the Ravens could have gotten more pressure, and explained why Saturday's game played out that way.
"They did a really good job to counter our pressures," Harbaugh said. "I thought they had a good pass protection plan; they did a good job executing it. The quarterback got out the ball a little quicker than he has in the past – that was part of it – and we didn't get to him as well as we need to.
"The good news was we played our best that way when our best was needed at the end," Harbaugh said. "That was a big plus for us and that's why we won the game."
With the Colts facing a third-and-6 from Baltimore's 13-yard line, outside linebacker Matthew Judon had a great speed rush on the edge and nearly grabbed onto Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He escaped up into the pocket, but outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith tripped him and Willie Henry finished the job for a key sack to force fourth-and-10.
Overall, the Ravens are tied for seventh in the NFL with 40 sacks this season. Veteran Terrell Suggs leads the way with 11. Sunday's opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, have allowed the 12th-most sacks in the league (39).
Harbaugh Neither Confirms, Nor Denies, Harrison Reports
After the Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran pass rusher James Harrison this weekend, various reports linked him to the rival Ravens as a potential suitor.
Harrison, 39, has been active for just five games this season and has one sack, but his long career as being a quarterback tormentor is well-known. He has 93.5 career sacks with 19 coming against the Ravens (including the postseason).
Harrison was once on the Ravens practice squad in 2003 before being released and signed by the Steelers.
Harbaugh neither confirmed, nor denied, the reports Tuesday when asked if Harrison was an option.
"I don't know," Harbaugh said. "You'll have to ask Ozzie."
