J. Smith Misses Practice
The Ravens had finally seemed to get healthy, but now they have another injury concern heading into the final three games of the season. And it's a big one.
Top cornerback Jimmy Smith (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday as the Ravens started their preparation for this week's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith injured his right ankle making a goal-line tackle against the Patriots Monday night, and ended up getting carted into the locker room.
Smith wasn't in the locker room after practice and Head Coach John Harbaugh didn't provide any details about the severity of the injury or when to expect Smith back on the field.
"I really don't want to get into that," Harbaugh said.
If Smith can't play, then Shareece Wright would likely be inserted back into the starting lineup opposite Tavon Young. Veteran cornerback Jerraud Powers also returned to practice as a limited participant after leaving Monday's game with a concussion, which is a sign he could be ready to return to his spot in the nickel.
While Smith's status for Sunday may be in doubt, Harbaugh and the veteran defensive backs stressed that they have confidence in the players behind him.
"Jimmy is a big part of our defense, we know that, but also we preach the next man up around here," cornerback Lardarius Webb said. "We believe in these guys. We know they can play ball."
Gillmore Returns After Missing Six Games
Some positive news on the injury front was that the Ravens got tight end Crockett Gillmore back on the practice field after he missed the last six games with a hamstring problem.
He was a limited participant in practice. Gillmore's status bears watching this week because he came back to practice a few weeks ago and then felt his hamstring tighten up again.
Even if he's ready to play, it's unknown exactly how the Ravens will use Gillmore considering the emergence of Darren Waller and return of Nick Boyle at tight end.
The only other players on Baltimore's injury report were special teamer Anthony Levin (toe), who didn't practice, and offensive lineman Alex Lewis (ankle), who was a full participant. Lewis returned to practice last week and the fact that's he's practicing fully is a good sign for him.
Similar to Gillmore's situation, it's unclear exactly where Lewis fits into the lineup because All-Pro Marshal Yanda has moved to left guard to allow him to play through a shoulder injury. The Ravens could try Lewis at right guard if they wanted to replace Vladimir Ducasse in the lineup.
Eagles Have Four Players Miss Practice
The Eagles are dealing with a few injury concerns and had four players sidelined during practice.
Wide receiver Jordan Matthews (ankle), running back Darren Sproles (concussion), offensive guard Allen Barbre (hamstring) and offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) all didn't practice.
Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (abdomen) and tight end Brent Celek (stinger) were both full participants.
