Gillmore, Canady dealing with knee injuries
The Ravens’ nightmare start to training camp continued Saturday when the team learned that two players expected to play key roles in 2017 will be sidelined for an extended period.
Tight end and cornerback are dealing with potentially significant knee injuries sustained during Friday’s practice, sources said. The Ravens are still determining the severity of the injuries, a process that has become all too familiar over the past couple of months.
The Ravens haven’t commented on either injury.
Gillmore could become the third tight end in less than two months that the Ravens would lose, after hip fracture and suspension.
Canady had been a standout throughout the offseason workouts and was the favorite to be the team’s slot cornerback after
season-ending knee injury in June. Now, Canady will miss time as well.
Gillmore, who has struggled mightily to stay healthy after he became one of
favorite targets early in the 2015 season, immediately went down to the ground after catching a pass late in Friday’s practice. He hobbled off the field and spiked his helmet when he reached the sideline. A free agent after this season, Gillmore has missed 15 games over the past two seasons.
The circumstance behind Canady’s knee injury is less clear. Reporters didn’t notice him going down at any point during Friday’s practice. Canady, a sixth-round draft pick in 2016, played in only four games as a rookie after being placed on injured reserve in early October because of a hamstring injury.
Both injuries continue a deflating and dubious stretch for the Ravens, whose depth has already gotten stretched significantly and training camp isn’t a week old yet. They’ve already lost five players for the year within the past two months because of either injury, suspension or retirement, and that does not include Gillmore, Canady or Flacco, who reported to the team facility Wednesday with a back injury that will sideline him for at least a week. Rookie Williams makes strong impression: did not wait long to make a favorable impression.
On the third day of his first training camp, the Ravens rookie outside linebacker beat offensive tackles
and in one-on-one drills, getting inside on the first two and outside on Hurst. On a two-on-two exercise during Friday’s practice, the 6foot-3, 260-pound Williams pushed 6-4, 313-pound several yards.
Say what you want about Nembot and Shakir being projects, but Stanley and Hurst are the projected starting left and right tackles, respectively. So Williams’ ability to skate around them is noteworthy.
Surprisingly, Williams, 23, was nonchalant about his performance.
“It was pretty good,” he said. “I’m just learning and going through the motions and learning what I can and just basically learn from the older guys and know that when my number is called, be able to go out and perform.” Wrong place, right time: Outside linebacker made a sparkling interception during Friday’s practice, dropping back and leaping high to grab a pass thrown from quarterback to tight end in the end zone. On Saturday, defensive coordinator
revealed that the interception might have been accidental. “He actually should have been in different coverage,” Pees said with a laugh. “He was in the right coverage, he was just late getting there.”