Ravens’ Lamar Jackson returns in limited capacity; extra protection arrives

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After the Ravens lost their spot atop the AFC North, two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson has returned to practice in a limited capacity.

Jackson was dressed in street clothes with a light wrap around his left ankle Wednesday. He will have two more practices to get up to speed for the Week 7 game Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Lamar was actually able to get a little bit of limited work in today in preparation,” coach Jesse Minter said. “So that’s where that’s at. Again, it’s a day-by-day thing, but he was able to get a little bit of work in and be involved in the preparation.”

The star quarterback injured his ankle in the Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans and missed the next two games and six practices. With Jackson out, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley led the team to an upset win over the Atlanta Falcons, followed by an upset loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens, 3-1 when Jackson was healthy, are 4-2. With wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ravens, the Browns are now on top in the race for the AFC North despite having the same record as the Ravens and Steelers.

Jackson, in the final year of his contract, got off to a hot start in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s system. He threw for over 300 yards, and the team had over 500 offensive yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

However, they lost to a Saints team that is now 2-4 in Week 2, and they struggled with the Dallas Cowboys enough to need last-second heroics from Jackson.

Jackson has been playing behind a patched-together offensive line. By Week 4, the Ravens had lost all three of their centers to injury and had rookie guard Vega Ioane chipping in. That meant his backup, Andrew Vorhees, came in at guard, but then Vorhees was injured.

In Week 5, Jackson’s ankle turned as he was tackled. Doctors told The Banner his injury appeared to be an uncommon one called a medial sprain. Minter did not confirm his injury. Huntley took over for Jackson after hafltime.

With Jackson out, odds swung in the Falcons’ favor for Week 5. They had one of the best run defenses and best rushing attacks. But, with Huntley at the helm, the Ravens won in an overtime thriller.

That momentum did not carry to Cleveland. After an impressive first quarter, the Ravens offense shriveled up and did not score. The defense fared better but couldn’t prevail in the final minutes.

The Ravens are preparing for another AFC North opponent, one that is coming off a bye week. The Bengals are 3-2 with wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins. Their losses are to the Steelers and a good Jacksonville Jaguars team.

Protection for Jackson

When Jackson returns, he will see a different line in front of him. The Ravens hope it’s a better one.

Following the slew of center injuries, the Ravens traded a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens and a seventh-round pick.

Jurgens arrived in Baltimore amid concussion protocol for an injury suffered in the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s been a wild process,” Jurgens said. “I don’t know — you guys could probably tell me — has anybody been traded while they’re in a concussion protocol?”

When Jurgens took the field for his first Ravens practice, he was in a red noncontact jersey. Wednesday, that jersey came off.

“It just feels so good to get through this protocol and start to feel a little bit like myself again and get back in the groove of things,” Jurgens said.

This season, Jurgens primarily played left guard for the Eagles. In Baltimore, he will return to center, allowing Ioane to return to right guard.

“I’m very happy to be back at center,” Jurgens said, adding that it feels natural after playing various positions for Philadelphia.