Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will play vs. Broncos; as will Marcus Williams. Keaton Mitchell a possible addition to the 53-man roster.
After Lamar Jackson was absent on Thursday, his status for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos was a bit of an unknown. According to Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer, the Broncos, though they were preparing for Jackson the whole way through, there was a “buzz in the locker room” about him missing his second practice. But that hope will cease as Jackson and Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed he’ll be on the field come Sunday.
“Yeah,” Jackson. “100-percent. No, [missing Sunday’s game] was never in doubt. Just resting my body. It’s a long season.”
Backing up Jackson’s statement was Harbaugh’s; and he’s not concerned with Jackson’s absence impacting their offense or the game plan.
“He’ll be ready. I’m not worried about it,” Harbaugh said. “He studied all week. He was involved in all the preparation stuff, he knows the game plan, he knows the opponent. He’ll be ready to go.”
Along with Jackson, Harbaugh confirmed safety Marcus Williams will play against the Broncos after being active on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 but not playing.
More interestingly will be whether running back Keaton Mitchell will be activated for Sunday’s game. Mitchell returned to practice on Wednesday, Oct. 23 for the first time since suffering a torn ACL against the Jacksonville Jaguars in December 2023. Mitchell was a full participant in practice all week and looked noticeably better during the media available portions of practice. Harbaugh said he looked good this week of practice.
“He looked good absolutely, and we’ll just have to make a decision as we go forward here,” Harbaugh said. “There’s roster implications to all that as well.”
Jackson commented he’s returning to his rookie form.
“It’s great to have him back out there. I told him earlier; he caught a little small pass, [and] he took off. I’m like, ‘You’re starting to look like last year’s Keaton.’ So, it’s great to see him back in good spirits. He always was in good spirits, but just to see him on the field with us is good to see.”
The roster gymnastics Harbaugh alluded to were due to the banged-up defensive line. The Ravens placed Michael Pierce on injured reserve due to a calf injury and Brent Urban hasn’t returned to practice since suffering a concussion against the Browns on Sunday. Along with the two absences, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones are both dealing with injury. The Ravens will be faced with a few difficult decisions prior to the game as they must decide who to elevate from the practice squad for the game, how they can configure the 53-man roster after adding Diontae Johnson, possibly Mitchell and others.