The Ravens want Jason Pierre-Paul in action as quickly as possible.
The veteran edge rusher participated in his first practice with Baltimore on Wednesday, and Head Coach John Harbaugh said it was possible Pierre-Paul would play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
"He looked good today," Harbaugh said. "He took a number of reps. I don't think he took every rep, but he took as many reps as we had out there for him. We'll see the tape. The process is to get him out there as fast we can. We'll shoot for this week. We'll see if we can do it. If we can't do it, then it will be next week or whenever we can do it. We're going to try to do it as quickly as we can."
Pierre-Paul's 12 years of NFL experience should help speed up the acclimation process, and he has arrived at an opportune time. Injuries have tested Baltimore's depth at outside linebacker all season. Justin Houston (groin) did not practice Wednesday, Tyus Bowser (Achilles) and second-round pick David Ojabo (Achilles) haven't played all season, and Steven Means (Achilles) suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1.
Veteran cornerback Marcus Peters is looking forward to seeing Pierre-Paul join the mix. He's a three-time Pro Bowler with 83 career sacks who has won a Lombardi Trophy with the Giants and Buccaneers.
"He knows what it takes to get to the Super Bowl," Peters said. "Just watching when they (Buccaneers) beat the Chiefs, I think he was a key part of putting together that rush plan, how they can attack certain quarterbacks who are mobile. I think he's going to be very big to have him added for our group."
Daniel Faalele Made Quick Adjustment to Left Tackle
After playing right tackle in college and high school, rookie Daniel Faalele did an admirable job at left tackle in Week 3 after being thrown into the mix to replace Patrick Mekari (ankle) in the first quarter.
Faalele said the encouragement he got from his fellow linemates and quarterback Lamar Jackson helped him perform in a difficult situation.
"My teammates didn't doubt me and gave me that confidence throughout the game," Faalele said. "As each snap came, I felt like I was settling in. It started slowing down for me a lot."
Whether Faalele makes his first NFL start on Sunday remains to be seen. Mekari didn't practice Wednesday, while All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) was a full participant in practice for the first time this year.
Regardless of his role on Sunday, Faalele thinks the reps he got against the Patriots will help him.
"(I'm) definitely more comfortable now after getting a game in," Faalele said. "I'll be prepared for anything. Seeing it from a left tackle's perspective as opposed to right tackle is very different."
Calais Campbell Believes Travis Jones Will Step Up
Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that defensive tackle Michael Pierce suffered a torn biceps against the Patriots that could sideline him for the season.
That means third-round pick Travis Jones may assume a larger role in the defensive line rotation, and veteran Calais Campbell believes the rookie is ready. Jones was very impressive during training camp and preseason and saw his first regular season action in Week 3, returning from an ankle injury.
"He's a talented guy," Campbell said. "His biggest thing is going to be experience. It's not going to take him long; I think he's just so gifted, and he's going to make a lot of plays.
"He's going to get a whole lot better in a hurry, hopefully. There's going to be mistakes – everybody makes them; even 15-year vets make them – but he makes them [in] the right way. If he doesn't know what he's doing, he blows stuff up, which you can appreciate."
Tyler Linderbaum Has Impressed Jackson
Jackson is taking more snaps from under center this season than ever before, and the chemistry between the quarterback and rookie center Tyler Linderbaum is being put to the test every week. Jackson has huge trust in Linderbaum, the first center taken in the draft out of Iowa (25th overall pick). The franchise quarterback said Linderbaum's play against the Patriots was outstanding, as he continues to improve each week.
"You've got to watch the film; I can't even describe how intense it was out there for him and how high he was performing," Jackson said. "It looked incredible – just to see a rookie out there doing what he's doing. It looks like he's been here before. He's just got to keep doing what he's doing and keep stacking."
