Top Three Cornerbacks Sidelined
The Ravens will have a short-handed secondary when the Washington Redskins come up to Baltimore for Saturday's matchup at M&T Bank Stadium.
Top cornerbacks Lardarius Webb (back), Jimmy Smith (chest) and Asa Jackson (ankle) will all be held out as they recover from injuries. Their absences mean Chykie Brown and Dominique Franks will likely start, and there will be plenty of reps for undrafted rookies Tramain Jacobs, Deji Olatoye and Sammy Seamster.
The young corners will have a tough test against Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and wide receivers Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
"Our top three corners are going to be out, and it's going to be an opportunity for those guys to go against the best for a long period of time," Harbaugh said. "It's going to give us a good chance to evaluate where we're at and give those guys an opportunity to prove they can play with the best."
The Ravens had already planned to sit Webb this week, but the hope earlier in the week was that Smith and Jackson could return. Instead of rushing them back, the Ravens decided to play it safe. Harbaugh did say that Smith could likely have played if this week were a regular-season game.
By missing Saturday's game, Webb, Smith and Jackson will all likely be shut down for the preseason. The Ravens typically rest their starters in the fourth preseason game and use that as a chance to fill out their final few roster spots.
Daniels Up In The Air
Veteran tight end Owen Daniels has been sidelined because of fatigued legs, and his status for Saturday is unknown.
The Ravens have decided to give Daniels time to rest, and he has missed the last week of practice. He also didn't play last week against the Cowboys. Daniels doesn't have any kind of muscle pull, and the hope at the start of the week was that he'd get back on the field this weekend.
"There's no kind of injury in there," Harbaugh said Monday. "It's just a fatigue factor, and he needs time."
If Daniels doesn't play, that will give rookie Crockett Gillmore more reps with the first-team offense.
Linemen Expected To Be Out With Concussions
Offensive linemen Jah Reid and Will Rackley will likely miss the game because of concussions.
Rackley has missed the majority of training camp and hasn't played in any preseason games, and Reid just went down with a concussion in Monday's practice. Reid must go through the concussion protocol before returning to the field.
"I don't know the extent of it or how long it'll be," Harbaugh said Tuesday about Reid.
Reid is the team's third offensive tackle behind Eugene Monroe and Rick Wagner. In his absence, offensive tackle David Mims could see some more snaps as he competes for a roster spot
