Ravens CB Humphrey to Have Foot Surgery – A potentially devastating loss on the defensive side of the football with Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey having to undergo foot surgery, delivering a massive blow to the thinnest position on the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said it has not been decided how long Humphrey will be out of commission. This has been a “lingering” injury for Humphrey.
“It’s not going to be a long-term deal,” Harbaugh said Wednesday.
Injuries have all but depleted the Ravens at cornerback. Rock Ya-Sin, Baltimore’s other starting cornerback, has been on the shelf since August 3 with a knee injury that is not considered to be serious.
Other cornerbacks who have been sidelined all week are Jalyn Armour-Davis, Arthur Maulet and Damarion Williams, who is expected to be out until October after having surgery on his left ankle this week. The Ravens also lost Trayvon Mullen, a 2019 second-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, to a season-ending toe injury before camp opened.
Baltimore’s top cornerbacks on the field Wednesday were Brandon Stephens, who had been playing safety at the start of training camp, and Kevon Seymour, who has made his rounds around the league, now on his fourth team in his six-year career. Not exactly intimidating.
“There is plenty of short-term concern,” Harbaugh said. “We got to look at that, and it starts with the guys you have. We have guys who are ready to play, and we’ll see what they can do. And, of course, we’re always looking for players, too.”
Humphrey, 27 years old, is one of the Ravens’ best playmaking cornerbacks ever. A three-time Pro Bowl defender, he is one of only three players in franchise history to record double-digit forced fumbles and interceptions in a career, along with Hall of Fame defenders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
The Ravens open the season with likely matchups against rookie quarterbacks in two of the first three weeks when they face the Houston Texans (C.J. Stroud) in Week 1 and the Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson) in Week 3.
“It definitely hurts the defense when a leader like Marlon is not out there with us,” Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. “I know he’ll get back as soon as he can, and we’ll pick up the slack when he’s not out there.”
And…
Buccaneers WR Gage has Season-Ending Injury – Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage will miss the 2023 season with a knee injury sustained at Wednesday’s joint practice with the New York Jets, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Gage was carted off the practice field in Florham Park, New Jersey, with the injury. He was very emotional and in tears as he was leaving the field, with teammates taking a knee around him.
“We hear it’s going to be pretty serious, and I’ll wait to hear the final results,” coach Todd Bowles said after the practice.
Gage’s injury was one of those dreaded noncontact variety, suffered while he was backpedaling during 7-on-7 drills.
“I can tell by the way that he was sitting on the truck that it was probably something that happened pretty bad,” Bowles said. “Our hearts go out to him, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Injuries have robbed Gage of playing time with the Buccaneers. He was dealing with a hamstring strain all spring and early in training camp but had been fully practicing for over a week.
Gage, 27, took a pay cut this offseason to remain with the team.
He caught 51 passes for 426 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 13 games (four starts) in his first season with the Buccaneers in 2022. Gage left the Buccaneers’ wild-card game against the Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital with a concussion, an injury that took about three weeks to recover from.
Gage is listed as a starter on Tampa Bay’s depth chart, along with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. His absence would give more playing time to Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and David Moore, among other wide receivers on the roster, who will have to step up and help either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask who are in the middle of a quarterback competition.
