Baltimore’s Week 4 availability picture changed in layers Sunday: Lamar Jackson left with an ankle injury, two centers are already on injured reserve, and yet the Ravens also got Zay Flowers and Ronnie Stanley back on the field against the Tennessee Titans.
Jackson’s day ended after he was hurt on the Ravens’ final offensive play of the first half, when he tried to scramble away from Titans defensive end Jermaine Johnson and then took a sack. He did not return to the game, and he was listed as questionable to come back with an ankle injury.
Before the injury, Jackson had already put together a sharp first half. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and added 20 yards on two carries as Baltimore built a 24-7 lead.
The second half opened without him. Jackson came out in pads and was on the sideline talking with coaches, but he did not take the field with the offense to start the third quarter. Tyler Huntley took over under center, giving the Ravens a different look at the game’s most important position.
That change landed on top of an offensive line situation that had already been thinned out. Baltimore placed centers Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic on injured reserve, and head coach John Harbaugh said, “We won’t have either one of them for a while.” The Ravens have now put three centers on injured reserve this season, including projected Week 1 starter Danny Pinter, who was hurt in training camp joint practices.
To help patch the depth chart, Baltimore elevated guard Kyle Hergel from the practice squad and signed center Andre James. The moves leave rookie Vega Ioane in line for a starting role at center, a notable ask in a game where the Ravens are also trying to protect a quarterback change.
There was at least some good news on the availability front. Flowers is “good to go” and will play against Tennessee at full strength, and he enters the game as Baltimore’s receiving leader with 10 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown. Ronnie Stanley is also playing after being limited in practice this week.
Stanley’s presence matters because the Ravens need as many stable pieces as they can get around Huntley if Jackson cannot return. Baltimore’s offense already had to adjust once Jackson went down, and the line has been forced to absorb the loss of multiple centers while still trying to keep the passing game functional.
So the Ravens’ Week 4 story is not just Jackson’s ankle. It is the way one injury at quarterback collides with a reshaped interior line, even as Flowers and Stanley give Baltimore two important pieces back in the same game.