Earlier on Thursday, it was revealed that Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith had groin surgery and the team passed word via its website that he’s expected to return before the end of the season.
Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network has a bit more information about the procedure. Rapaport reports that it was a sports hernia operation, which is significant because the timeline for Smith’s return is a little bit longer after that operation and that could make it difficult for Smith to return by the season’s close.
That doesn’t change too much in the here and now for the Ravens. They will still be relying on Corey Graham, Chykie Brown and Chris Johnson to hold down the fort with Cary Williams until Smith is healthy enough to resume football activities. Whether that’s later this season or sometime in the offseason is fairly immaterial to defensive coordinator Dean Pees.
“You don’t expect all this to happen, but it’s football,” Pees said. “It’s professional football. Some years you go through and you’re unscathed. Some years you go through and it’s not. But you have to make do with what you got.”
With several key players hurt on both sides, there’s going to be a lot of that going around when the Ravens and Steelers square off on Sunday night.
