There is hope that this is the year the Ravens finally figure out the playoff dilemma and chase down another Lombardi Trophy. For head coach John Harbaugh, it is more than hope; it is a conviction: “Appreciate the guys coming out and practising the way they did.” At the center of it all stands the youngest two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson. But the injury report surfacing a few days prior to September had the Flock tearing out its own feathers in nervous anticipation. If it is of any consolation, Harbaugh now walks what he calls a “dual path.” Working through the grind of roster decisions with 53 names soon to be locked in, while also prepping for the regular season opener against the Bills in September, after Baltimore secured three preseason wins. But the path was not free of bumps.

Like every other franchise, the Ravens faced injuries that reshaped the depth chart. Speaking to reporters on August 25, John Harbaugh gave updates: “We did have a couple injuries. We had Xavier had his, broke his clavicle, so he’ll be out for a while. And Dayton Wade had to have surgery on his chest ribs, so he’ll be out for a while. So those are the two injuries you have. All the other injuries are stuff that we really expect everybody to be back practising next week. If they’re not practising right now, we expect them to be practising next week at this point.”

The Ravens’ wide receiver unit absorbed tough blows during their 30-3 preseason win over Washington. Rookie Xavier Guillory went down with a shoulder issue that turned out to be a broken collarbone. He suffered it in the finale and will be sidelined for weeks. Dayton Wade also fell victim early in the second quarter after taking a hard hit from Antonio Hamilton on a 15-yard catch.

In addition, the injury list did not spare their franchise centerpiece. Lamar Jackson missed practice time with a foot injury that raised alarms in Baltimore. Relief followed when he returned, and Harbaugh shared: “I thought he looked good, it’s a good practise. There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of mental work, obviously, for the quarterback here at this point in time. So he’s working through that, trying to get it right. We had a full day, have a full work day tomorrow.”

It could have been a real problem as Baltimore heads into the season with only two quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson leads as the clear starter, and Cooper Rush slots in as the backup, with Devin Leary looking in from the outside. No wonder Harbaugh was sweating out metaphorical bullets.

Lamar Jackson’s misstep had everyone holding their breath

The Baltimore Ravens headlined after Lamar Jackson’s midweek injury scare. The quarterback left practice on Wednesday (August 20) when his foot was stepped on. Yikes! He missed Thursday’s session, sparking concern, and was missing from pre-game activities on Saturday before the match against the Commanders. John Harbaugh later explained the absence, noting Jackson was only sidelined for soreness and confirmed there was no serious damage.

Harbaugh detailed the sequence, saying, “He got his foot stepped on like we said yesterday. They did a quick X-ray and there’s no damage or anything like that. I’m sure it’s a little sore today, so we just kept him in. But he’s fine. He’s going to be good.” The coach admitted relief after the test results cleared Jackson of injury.

“It was a big relief,” Harbaugh added. “I told the guys, I said, ‘Prayers do get answered.’ Because I was praying. God came through. But he’s good.” Jackson enters this season after an MVP-level year. He posted a league-best passer rating of 119.6, the fourth-highest mark ever. He also became the first player with over 40 touchdown passes and fewer than five interceptions in a season, finishing with 41 scores and four picks.

Lamar Jackson has just put behind the contract headlines after a drama-packed offseason, the Flock surely was worried if, after every turn of twist and suspense, Jackson had to miss time. But he is likely to be there for Week 1.