McPhee likely done
Outside linebacker suffered a torn triceps on Sunday
Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee suffered a torn triceps during Sunday’s 30-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks and will likely miss the rest of the season, coach John Harbaugh announced Monday.
McPhee suffered the injury in the first half of Sunday’s game and didn’t return.
The Ravens signed McPhee — who spent his first three years in the league with the team — to a one-year deal in May to bring experience to a defense that had lost outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in free agency.
McPhee, 30, was a stout edge-setter and provided an interior pass rush for a defense that has struggled to sack the quarterback this season. He is second on the team with three sacks, only behind outside linebacker Matthew Judon (four).
“I feel like he wanted to prove himself,” Harbaugh said of McPhee, who dealt with knee and shoulder injuries during his time with the Chicago Bears. “He wanted to get back on track and demonstrate that he still can play. To do it here, to be the leader that he was, he’s been instrumental. … I see no reason why he can’t recover from a triceps
injury and be back next year, stronger than ever.”
Through six games, McPhee had a larger workload than he was accustomed to and Harbaugh said that the team was looking to reduce his snaps. Entering Sunday’s game, McPhee played 69.27% of the defensive snaps, a careerhigh for the nine-year veteran.
In McPhee’s absence, the Ravens relied more on young linebackers Jaylon Ferguson and Tyus Bowser. Both played well against the run Sunday, finishing with three tackles apiece.
The Ravens have lost three defensive players for the season in as many weeks. Safeties Tony Jefferson and DeShon Elliott suffered season-ending knee injuries against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.
With Monday’s release of special teams standout Justin Bethel and McPhee expected to be placed on injured reserve, the Ravens will have two open roster spots.
Bethel released
The Ravens have released cornerback and special teams ace Justin Bethel, the team announced Monday, a move intended to recoup a compensatory draft pick.
The Ravens signed Bethel to a twoyear, $4 million deal this offseason, but with former Ravens defensive end Brent Urban’s release Saturday by the Tennessee Titans, the team was expected to lose a compensatory 2020 NFL draft pick. By releasing Bethel before Week 10, the Ravens will get back their projected fourth-round pick.
“Judgment has to be made for the future as well,” Harbaugh, who called the compensatory system “funky,” said at his weekly news conference Monday. “That’s tough for us because, I told him, I think he’s the best special teams player in the NFL, and he’s playing that way. So that’s going to be a blow, and we’re going to have to find a way to overcome that.”
Bethel, 29, has six tackles and a fumble recovery in seven games this season while playing a team-high 81.07% of the Ravens’ special teams snaps. He did not play a snap on defense in the Ravens’ 30-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and has played just 14 all year.
Bethel played exclusively on special teams for the Atlanta Falcons last season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times as a special teams standout in his six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Ravens also released defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter from their practice squad Monday. With the two moves, and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee likely headed to season-ending injured reserve with a triceps injury, the team will have two open spots on its 53-man roster and one on its practice squad.
‘Optimistic’ about return to full strength
Harbaugh said he is “very optimistic” that the team will have multiple key starters, including rookie wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor and cornerback Jimmy Smith, return to the field after the bye week.
Brown and Onwuasor missed the team’s past two games and haven’t practiced since suffering ankle injuries in the team’s win over the Steelers two weeks ago.
The Ravens’ passing game has struggled without Brown, who is second on the team with 21 receptions for 326 yards.
Veteran pickups Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort have played well with Onwuasor out of the lineup. Bynes tied a team-high with eight tackles against Seattle, while Fort recorded six tackles and a sack.
Smith hasn’t played since spraining his knee in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins but returned to practice this past week and was limited.
After struggling with blown coverages, the Ravens’ pass defense has regrouped in the past few games. New Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters, who made his Ravens debut Sunday, played 65 defensive snaps and returned an interception for a touchdown.