Jason Babin could likely make his Ravens debut Sunday when the Bengals come into M&T Bank Stadium.
After watching last week's game from the sidelines as a healthy scratch, Babin will have another week to get a grasp of Baltimore's defense and show the coaching staff he's ready for game action.
"We like Jason; we'd like to have him up," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. "And hopefully we can get him up."
Babin is certainly on board with that idea.
"I'm extremely eager," Babin said about potentially making his debut. "I'm ready. Whenever they need me, I'll be ready to go."
The decision to sit Babin last week was perhaps the biggest surprise when the inactives list was released. Harbaugh indicated leading up to the game that he had seen enough from Babin in practice to suggest the veteran could play just five days after getting signed, but the Ravens opted instead to activate rookie outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith.
Teams can only have 46 of their 53 players active on gameday.
"It becomes a numbers deal in there, and for every guy that's up, someone else has got to come down," Harbaugh said. "You have to decide where you want to be strong and where you're willing to be a little bit undermanned."
The outcome of Sunday's matchup may lead to the Ravens giving Babin a shot this week. The defense struggled to generate a pass rush for much of the afternoon after Oakland, and Harbaugh described Smith's performance as "OK, average play."
Babin's specialty is getting after quarterbacks. The 35-year-old defender has 64.5 career sacks, including 18 during a Pro Bowl season in 2011. Babin's production has dropped since then – he had two sacks in 16 games last year – but he gives the Ravens another veteran presence after the season-ending injury to Terrell Suggs.
"I think outside the pass rush, people who know my style of play know that I play whistle to whistle," Babin said. "The way I play and the way I like to do it on Sunday is intense and physical.
"I'm excited to prove to my teammates and show my teammates what I can bring to the table. That's what I'm looking forward to the most."
