On Monday, Ravens coach Jesse Minter declined to address quarterback Lamar Jackson’s injury status. In a highly unusual move, the Ravens released a statement from Minter on Friday that did address Jackson’s status.
“Lamar is doing well as he recovers from the broken and dislocated thumb injury he suffered in Week 8,” Minter said in the statement the Ravens published on social media and the team’s website. “Recovery timelines are challenging to predict, but injuries like this that require surgery typically take about 6-10 weeks to heal. He is doing everything he can to get back, and we will let his progress guide the timing of his return. We are committed to playing our best football over the the season. second half of the season.”
It’s unclear why the Ravens decided to release this statement, this way. NFL teams rarely announce injury news via a written statement from the head coach. Typically if there’s something to update, the coach will say it at his regularly scheduled press conference, or the player himself will say how he’s doing. In more complex cases, a written statement might come from the team’s medical staff, but not the head coach.
Jackson suffered the injury in Week 8, which means that the 6-10 week timeline would but his return somewhere in the Week 14 to Week 18 neighborhood. Realistically, the Ravens may not be in playoff contention by the time Jackson is cleared to return, which means Jackson’s 2026 season may be over.
Ravens Clips
Justin Herbert injured the middle finger on his left hand in Sunday’s loss to the Texans. Imaging showed the finger was not broken.
It would stand to reason that the Chargers quarterback would be on Thursday’s injury report, even if he was a full participant. He wasn’t.
The Chargers did have 18 players on their first report of the week ahead of Monday night’s game against the Ravens.
The team had nine players out of practice Thursday. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey (back), outside linebacker Khalil Mack (rest), linebacker Daiyan Henley (personal), defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe (ankle), offensive lineman Branson Taylor (ankle), wide receiver Brenen Thompson (hamstring), cornerback Isas Waxter (ankle) and safety Kendall Williamson (calf).
Offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III (personal/knee) also did not practice. He is in the second week of his return-to-practice window.
Offensive guard Kayode Awosika (fibula), wide receiver Tre’ Harris (shoulder), cornerback Cam Hart (ankle), running back Keaton Mitchell (hip), defensive back Deane Leonard (concussion), cornerback Rodney Shelley (calf) and offensive guard Alex Harkey (foot) were limited.
Tight end David Njoku (fibula) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (pectoral), both of whom had their 21-day practice window opened last week, were also limited Thursday.
Everyone on the Ravens’ active roster practiced on Thursday, but a handful of them were limited participants.
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was part of that group. Bateman, who has 20 catches for 294 yards and a score on the season, is dealing with a calf injury ahead of Monday’s game against the Chargers.
Right guard Vega Ioane (knee, shoulder) and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) were also limited. Hawkins did not play in last Thursday’s loss to the Jaguars due to his injury.
Running back Rasheen Ali (ankle), safety Kyle Hamilton (hip), tight end Matthew Hibner (hand), running back Adam Randall (neck, hamstring), and cornerback Nate Wiggins (illness) were all listed as full participants.
Jacoby Brissett has been a member of the Ravens for less than a week, but he’s set to start at quarterback in the team’s game against the Chargers on Monday night.
The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injuries in Week 8 and got the wheels moving on their trade for Brissett ahead of their loss to the Jaguars last Thursday night, but the deal didn’t become official until Friday. That left Brissett with a short window to pick up the offense for a 4-5 team that’s hoping to stay afloat in the second half of the season.
“It’s definitely been a crash course. No question,” Brissett said.
Brissett said it has “been a long, but fast, week” and said he’s confident in the work he’s done with the coaching staff to digest the offense. That work will continue — Brissett joked that the press conference was interrupting his crash course — and it will likely keep going until close to kickoff on Monday night.
The Ravens had a pair of kickers in for workouts on Wednesday and they’ll reportedly keep them both around for a while.
There was word on Wednesday that they will be signing former Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson and NFL Media reports on Thursday that they will also sign Harrison Mevis to their practice squad.
Mevis played in the first five Rams games of the season, but he was released after missing a pair of field goals in their overtime loss to the Bills last month. He was 5-of-9 on field goals this season and 12-of-13 in nine games for the Rams last season.
The Ravens put Tyler Loop on injured reserve ahead of Week 9 and elevated Jake Moody from the practice squad for their last game. Moody signed with the Falcons this week and the Ravens will now have a choice to make about who handles their kicking duties against the Chargers on Monday night.
The Ravens made a trade for center Ryan Neuzil this week, but they aren’t planning on throwing him right into the lineup in Week 10.
Neuzil started every game for the Falcons this season and he also made 17 starts in 2025. The Falcons’ offensive line coach in 2025 was current Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, so Neuzil feels he understands “what [Ledford] wants and what he sees in the linemen.”
That knowledge should help Neuzil pick things up on the fly, but head coach Jesse Minter said Neuzil’s arrival doesn’t mean current center Cam Jurgens will be knocked out of the lineup.
“I think he brings versatility,” Minter said, via the team’s website. “I don’t anticipate anything changing with Cam and what position he plays. We think he’s like the future of our offensive line. I think it’s just a piece that adds depth. I do think he’ll have flexibility as he gets here, as he gets going. Wherever that leads I think we’ll see as we go.”
The Ravens have had to change plans at center multiple times since Tyler Linderbaum’s departure during the offseason. If they need to make another one, Neuzil will give them an experienced option to plug the hole.
The Ravens have reportedly settled on their next kicker.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the Ravens will sign Riley Patterson. Patterson worked out for the team on Wednesday.
The Ravens found themselves in need of a new kicker because Jake Moody opted to sign with the Falcons after being elevated from Baltimore’s practice squad in Week 9. Moody became the choice because Tyler Loop is on the team’s injured reserve list.
Patterson opened the season as the Dolphins’ kicker, but was released in October after going 7-of-9 on field goals and 5-of-6 on extra points. He is 97-of-112 on field goals and 148-of-154 on extra points over his entire career.
The Ravens need a new kicker after Jake Moody departed their practice squad to sign with the Falcons.
While reporters have noted that the team does not have a kicker on the field for practice on Wednesday, the team is taking steps to have one for Thursday’s session.
Harrison Mevis and Riley Patterson are among a group of kickers working out for the club, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Mevis and Patterson both began the season with teams but were released after struggling.
Mevis was just 5-of-9 on field goals in five games before the Rams moved on last month.
Patterson was 7-of-9 on field goals and 5-of-6 on extra points with the Dolphins when they released him.
Baltimore’s regular kicker, Tyler Loop, is currently on injured reserve.
When it comes to interpreting press releases regarding the audiences for sporting events, there’s a rule of thumb.
The higher the number appears in the release, the better the company thinks the audience is. The lower the number appears in the release, the less impactful the figure is.
And if the number is really bad, there’s no release at all.
For the Week 9 Thursday night game between the Jaguars and Ravens— which was destined to have a non-stellar audience thanks to the Ravens being down to their third-string quarterback — Prime Video led with the fact that the eight-game season-to-date average has outperformed last year’s numbers.
The 33-10 win by the Jaguars, which Prime Video accurately called “lopsided” in the release, generated an average of 13.96 million viewers.
It nevertheless was, as Prime Video notes, a 13-percent bump over last year’s Week 9 Thursday night game. And for good reason. The Week 9 Thursday night game in 2025 featured the Ravens at the Dolphins, a 28-6 Baltimore win.
Even with an audience of less than 14 million in the eighth TNF game of the season, the package is offering 17.15 million per week for 2026.
This week’s game — Commanders at Giants — should do well, given that the Giants are both doing well and occupy the nation’s top market. In Week 11, it’s Colts at Texans. Which won’t be great.
The following week, Prime Video has a potentially massive game on Black Friday between the currently 7-2 Broncos and 6-2 Steelers.
After that, it’s Chiefs-Rams, Vikings-Patriots, 49ers-Chargers, Texans-Eagles (on Christmas Eve), and Ravens-Bengals.
The Ravens parted ways with guard Andrew Vorhees in a trade with the Falcons on Tuesday and they also cut a couple of other players from the active roster.
They announced that they have released tight end Nick Vannett and guard Kyle Hergel. They did not make any corresponding signings, but they did add center Ryan Neuzil in the Vorhees trade.
Vannett played in the Ravens’ last five games and made three starts. He was used primarily as a blocker during his time in Baltimore and did not catch any passes. The 11-year veteran has 108 catches for 1,012 yards and nine touchdowns over his entire career.
Hergel made one appearance for the Ravens and played two special teams snaps.
