Davis a rare constant on ‘D’ line
3rd-round pick expects to get full load Thursday night
Carl Davis has quickly grown accustomed to a full game’s workload in the NFL. No Ravens defensive lineman has played more this preseason than the third-round draft pick out of Iowa, and he doesn’t expect that to change in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s been a whole busy preseason for me,” Davis said. “I’ve been out there a lot, getting a lot of reps and honestly, I’m enjoying it. It’s helped me prepare for the season. I know the season is going to be intense.”
Davis has been a rare constant among defensive linemen. Top players such as Brandon Williams and Chris Canty have been protected, and injuries have affected nearly everyone else in the position group.
Davis started the preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints in place of Timmy Jernigan, and took significant first-team snaps Saturday night against the Washington Redskins when Jernigan went down with a knee injury.
In 137 snaps over the three games, according to Pro Football Focus, Davis has seven tackles, two quarterback hits and one pass deflection.
“Carl’s done a great job,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s still a rookie, but I look at where he was when he first came here. ... [Defensive line coach] Clarence [ Brooks] has done a great job with him, and I think he’s gotten himself into a position where he’s ready to compete at this level and play very well.”
Davis concedes that he’s still motivated by even being available for the Ravens to select in the third round this May.
“I still felt a certain type of way about where I fell, but right now, I look at it as a blessing,” Davis said. “What an opportunity just to be able to prove myself. That’s what keeps me going. I’m not saying this is me, but some people, if they get picked first round, they might get complacent. It’s kind of a chip on my shoulder, keep on going.”
The preseason has provided plenty of opportunities for Davis to prove himself, and Thursday will likely be an extension of that.
With Jernigan and DeAngelo Tyson (shoulder) likely shelved for the finale, and Williams and Canty not playing, Davis joins Lawrence Guy, Micajah Reynolds, Christo Bilukidi and Kapron Lewis-Moore as the only available defensive linemen.
“It’s going to be a strain on those guys,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a tough game, but it’s also an opportunity. It’s an opportunity for those guys to show what they can do, and they’ll be excited to play.”
43 preparing to play
Harbaugh said 43 players — none of whom are projected Week 1 starters — will play Thursday in the preseason finale.
Traditionally, the team’s starters don’t play in the final preseason game, and some of the high-profile players don’t even travel.
The young players and reserves who will play have a walk-through scheduled for today before the team leaves for Atlanta, but the focus for the starters shifts to Week 1 against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 13.
Pitta placed on PUP list
Tight end Dennis Pitta was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list as he continues his recovery from a fractured and dislocated hip suffered last September, one of two moves the Ravens made to get their roster to 75 players by Tuesday afternoon.
The designation means Pitta cannot be activated until after Week 6, though it’s no guarantee he’ll be back on the field after suffering two serious hip injuries in two years.
“I think you plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Harbaugh said. “I’m planning on him not being here. That would be the plan from a football standpoint, and I think he’s planning on being back. So it’ll just come down to whether it’s a smart thing to do, what he wants to do and really what his family wants to do. He and his wife have to make that decision for themselves.”
Pitta participated in organized team activities and other summer workouts, but has mostly been a spectator this training camp. The young tight ends on the roster refer to him as a second coach, though Harbaugh said Pitta badly wants to play.
“He really wants to have a career and he wants to have a legacy as a player, and that’s more important than anything, money or anything else, the statement he’s able to make about his football career,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something from a football perspective, but the other part of it is his life, his quality of life, and he’s got to mix it into consideration.”
The Ravens also waived tackle De’Ondre Wesley, who suffered a knee injury against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 22.
M. Williams not a concern
Rookie tight end Maxx Williams, who has been in a red noncontact jersey since the Ravens resumed practice after the loss in Philadelphia, shouldn’t be dealing with his injury by the regular season opener at Denver, Harbaugh said.
Williams, the Ravens’ second-round pick in the NFL draft, was shaken up on a play late in the first half of the Eagles game. He came back to finish the game, ending the night with three catches for 25 yards, but hasn’t participated fully since.
“He’s got an issue that we just can’t get him banged around with,” Harbaugh said. “He’s practicing, so he should be there for Denver, but we just want to protect him from the bump.”
End zone
Cornerback Rashaan Melvin missed a second straight day of practice Tuesday. … Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the first regular-season game in franchise history, a 19-14 win over the Oakland Raiders. … Harbaugh canceled the final four periods of practice Tuesday, cutting the day short by about an hour. If a “team works as hard as this team works, as a coach, you can’t help but be very proud,” Harbaugh said. “We cut practice down a little bit today just for that reason.”