With 19 players on injured reserve by season's end, the Ravens have a lot of healing to do this offseason.
Baltimore has a lot of talented players that will be recuperating injuries this offseason.
Here's an update on their progress:* *
RT Rick Wagner
Injury: Foot sprain (Lisfranc)
Date of injury: Dec. 21
Return aim: Start of regular season
2014 results: In his first year as a starter, Wagner became one of the league's best right tackles. He only allowed two sacks and one other quarterback hit in 15 games, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). While he was superb in pass protection, he was also stout in run blocking.
Quote: "I should come back for next season. That's the goal to get back for the first game. It's the kind of injury [where] you have to take it slow. It's not a career-changer. It just needs time to heal." – Wagner* *
TE Dennis Pitta
Injury: Hip dislocation/fracture (2nd such injury)
Date of injury: Sept. 21
Return aim: Unknown
Update: Pitta will see specialists this week. He is working out in the gym.
2014 results: After signing a multi-year contract extension last offseason, Pitta was supposed to be a big part of the offense. He caught 16 passes for 125 yards in the first three games before going down.
Quote: "I will say that I'm cautiously optimistic because of the injury. We all sit in here [and] all of us would be [like], 'OK, is this going to be good?' We want to make sure he's going to be totally healthy, totally safe as much is as reasonable in football to make sure that hip is sound and everything before our doctors would ever clear him. In the end, it will be up to the doctors and Dennis to determine that." – John Harbaugh* *
CB Jimmy Smith
Injury: Foot sprain (Lisfranc)
Date of injury: Oct. 26
Return aim: Now
2014 results: Smith became a lockdown No. 1 cornerback last season, and was starting to get Pro Bowl buzz. PFF had him as one of their top cornerbacks before his injury, as Smith allowed an average of 4.3 catches for just 18 yards per game. He did not surrender a touchdown.
Quote: "Jimmy will actually go into the offseason healthy. He'll be running here in a couple weeks, so he'll get a chance to get a full offseason in. Maybe four weeks might be the number off the top of my head. So, it's pretty encouraging that way." – Harbaugh* *
CB Rashaan Melvin
Injury: Shoulder
Date of injury: Unknown
Return aim: OTAs or minicamp
2014 results: Melvin finished the year as the Ravens' starter, and had good results in his first three games. He was picked on by Tom Brady and the Patriots, however, as he allowed 12 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns, per PFF.
Quote:"Only [procedure] that I know of right now is Rashaan Melvin has a shoulder type of a deal he has to do. If everything goes well, he should be back for OTAs and for minicamp." – Harbaugh
Other injured Ravens to monitor are defensive end Christo Bilukidi (ankle), safety Terrence Brooks (knee), running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (ankle), long snapper Morgan Cox (knee), cornerback Danny Gorrer (knee), cornerback Asa Jackson (knee), cornerback Tramain Jacobs (thigh), defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore (Achilles) and defensive end Brent Urban (knee).
Jackson's knee injury was considered to only take five weeks to heal, so he should be back soon. Brooks' was more serious, and he was on crutches as his teammates cleaned out their lockers.
Lewis-Moore and Urban both suffered their injuries in training camp, and are expected to be ready to play when practice begins again. Cox tore his ACL on Oct. 19 and is already walking around without crutches.
Harbaugh said that besides Melvin, there are no other surgeries planned at this time.
"So that's good news," he said. "It's the best we've probably been."
