The Baltimore Ravens missed Lamar Jackson so much that even his return brought unexpected chaos. The starter was only taking scout reps during the Week 8 matchup against the Chicago Bears. However, no one, not even HC John Harbaugh, paid attention to their injury report, which listed him as a full participant in practice. Now, it has turned into a full-blown controversy.

The Ravens might even have to pay big fines, potentially losing draft picks. NFL on Prime host Charissa Thompson asked veteran insider Ian Rapoport about the punishment on October 30.

“Heavy fines and potential loss of draft picks are what is possible for the Baltimore Ravens in this NFL review that is ongoing,” Rapoport said. “Everyone thought Lamar Jackson was going to play. He was listed as a full participant on Friday. Questionable. Saturday, I reported that Lamar Jackson only took scout team reps.”

However, the issue caught attention when he was ruled out after being a full participant in practice. According to NFL policy, a player working exclusively with the scout team should still be listed as limited, even if they practice the entire time. And with the Ravens violating this very rule, HC Harbaugh might have to pay a big price.

“Later in the day, his status was changed to limited, and he was ruled out, and the NFL announced they are, in fact, reviewing this because they always do when a player’s status changes,” Rapoport added.

The league has been strict about such violations and has fined teams and coaches previously. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger injured himself, but since HC Mike Tomlin did not handle the scenario carefully, the league fined them. While Tomlin had to pay $25,000, the Black and the Gold paid $75,000. The Atlanta Falcons also mishandled RB Bijan Robinson’s injury situation in 2023. As a result, the league fined them $75,000 and the head coach, Arthur Smith, $25,000.

While the financial punishment takes a toll, the bigger point is the draft picks, something the Ravens would want to avoid at any cost. And while this mistake could prove too costly for the Ravens, Harbaugh insists it was nothing more than an honest mistake.

John Harbaugh defends his people

“It really is an honest mistake,” the Ravens coach said. “Nobody’s trying to hide anything. There’s no advantage to be gained with that.”

Earlier in Week 8, Jackson was listed as limited on Wednesday and Thursday, so when he was upgraded to a full participant on Friday, it looked like he might play. John Harbaugh explained that the decision on practice participation levels is made by the trainers and PR staff, not him.

“I think they thought it was a full practice because he did the same number of reps,” Harbaugh said. “But when you read the rule closely, it wasn’t right. So once we realized that, we fixed it.”

While Lamar Jackson didn’t have any role in all this, he is almost certain to play the Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins. The starter is excited to be back after missing 3 games in a row. This was the first hamstring injury of Jackson’s career. He said he wanted to come back as soon as possible, but didn’t want to risk making it worse.

He is the man who can lead their revival.