A. Lewis, Urschel in line to start versus Redskins
Ravens get another shot at Cousins; TE Williams put on injured reserve
With rookie left tackle Ronnie Stanley missing his sixth consecutive practice Friday, and after left tackle James Hurst and left guard Ryan Jensen endured uneven showings in Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Ravens rookie Alex Lewis and John Urschel are in line to start at left tackle and left guard, respectively, against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Lewis, who started the first three games at left guard before suffering a concussion that kept him on the sideline against Oakland, played left tackle at Nebraska in 2014 and 2015 and filled in for Stanley in the Ravens’ final preseason game at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 1. Lewis said Friday that he is fine with moving to left tackle.
“You’ve just got to know where your help is at tackle, especially rookies,” he said. “I expect a little help, but at the same time you’ve got to understand that when they call you to be on an island, you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals. It doesn’t really matter what the guy across from you is doing. It’s sticking to your fundamentals and doing your technique and getting your job done.”
Stanley has been bothered by a foot injury for the past two weeks and sat out against the Raiders. Stanley declared himself a game-time decision Thursday but is listed as doubtful for the game against Washington.
Hurst did not surrender a sack Sunday but was flagged for holding once, had another holding penalty declined and allowed defensive end Khalil Mack to hit quarterback Joe Flacco twice.
Jensen committed holding and false-start penalties against Oakland. Urschel was inactive for the team’s first three games before playing a backup role Sunday.
Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that he would prefer starting the same players on the offensive line every week.
“You always want continuity,” he said. “Continuity builds on itself, and that’s what you want. But we’re blessed with some depth. We feel like we have some depth, especially this year more than other years. But other teams have had the same problem. Washington, Oakland, everybody’s got injuries in different spots. Sometimes it kind of gangs up on you in certain positions, but you just have to deal with it.” Hello again: The last time the Ravens faced the Redskins, a rookie quarterback led Washington to a 31-28 overtime win on Dec. 9, 2012. The Ravens will meet that same quarterback Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, but it’s not Robert Griffin III.
Kirk Cousins, the Redskins’ fourth-round draft pick in 2012, replaced Griffin, the No. 2 overall pick in the same draft who left for the Cleveland Browns this offseason, late in the fourth quarter and delivered the overtime win. In his first year as a starter last season, Cousins set a franchise single-season record for passing yards with 4,166, tied for second in club history with 29 passing touchdowns and led the league with a .698 completion per- John Urschel was inactive for the team’s first three games. He played a backup role Sunday against the Raiders and could start at left guard this week. centage. Cousins ranks sixth in the NFL in passing yards (1,172).
There are only 11 Ravens players left from that 2012 season, but one, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, remembers Cousins vividly.
“He did a pretty good against us, too, unfortunately,” Suggs said before jokingly lobbing an expletive at Cousins. “He had a really good game, and he’s also had success. He won a job. They took it from a guy that I think was favored to have the position. It goes to show the kid can play and they believe in him.” Maxx Williams to IR: The Ravens placed Maxx Williams on injured reserve Friday, ending the secondyear tight end’s season. Williams has been dealing with cartilage problems in his knee, according to Harbaugh.
A second-round pick in 2015, Williams didn’t have a reception through the first four games this year after an uneven rookie season in which he had 32 catches for 268 yards and a touchdown in 14 games. Harbaugh said Williams will likely undergo surgery.
“It’s something that has been bothering him all along,” Harbaugh said Friday. “He’s had it for a while, and part of it is the way his knee is built, and part of it is an injury last year in San Francisco that damaged the cartilage a little bit. And the way the knee is built, it just kind of made it worse. We were hoping to get him through the season and then get something done at the end of the season, but it has just flared up too many times now for his well-being and his future. As he told me yesterday, ‘I’m 22 years old, I’ve got a career in front of me, let me take care of this right now.’ ”
The Ravens didn’t announce a corresponding move for Williams, but it does free up a spot on the 53-man roster for tight end Darren Waller. Waller has been practicing with the team and is eligible to play after serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substanceabuse policy.
Dennis Pitta and Crockett Gill- more remain the team’s top two tight ends. Daniel Brown was added to the active roster this week. End zone: Return specialist Devin Hester Sr. returned to Friday’s practice for limited participation, marking his first appearance since injuring his thigh Sunday. Hester, who had sat out Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions, is questionable for the Redskins game. Rookie running back Kenneth Dixon (strained left MCL) and cornerback Sheldon Price (thigh) practiced fully Friday and are listed as questionable. … Washington ruled starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland (strained tendon in ankle) out for Sunday. Listed as questionable are two starters: outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (sprained left elbow) and left guard Shawn Lauvao (ankle). Two other starters, defensive end Chris Baker (elbow and toe) and left tackle Trent Williams (knee), are not on the injury report. … The Redskins’ Jordan Reed leads NFL tight ends with 25 catches, ranks third with 263 yards and is tied for third with two touchdowns. Ravens strong safety Eric Weddle remembered Reed from when he caught four passes for 37 yards and rushed once for 18 in a 30-24 win against the San Diego Chargers on Nov. 3, 2013. “It’s going to be fun,” Weddle said. “You always like going against great players at their positions. It brings out the best in yourself. We definitely have to have a solution for him. They have three great wideouts. They present some tough matchups for us, some challenges.” … The Ravens defeated the Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars when Harbaugh wore his gray, team-issued T-shirt. After not wearing the T-shirt Sunday and watching the Ravens lose to the Raiders, Harbaugh would not commit to bringing back the gray T-shirt against Washington on a day with a projected high of 68. “I could layer it a little bit. I could layer a couple T-shirts,” he said. “We’ll see. We’ll see how it feels. But I don’t like being cold.”