Injuries open up opportunity

Backups, those on bubble will get chance vs. Eagles

Injuries are a fact of life in the NFL, but their magnitude from year to year is as unpredictable as the weather. Just ask Ravens athletic trainers.

In 2017, the Ravens were one of the league’s worse-off teams, with 15 players on injured reserve by mid-September. Last season, the Ravens were one of the healthiest, finishing with the fewest adjusted games lost to injury, according to analytics website Football Outsiders.

Early in training camp this summer, the Ravens had a largely clean bill of health, with only quarterback Robert Griffin III sidelined. Now the team enters Thursday night’s clash against the Eagles in Philadelphia with a list of injuries affecting nearly every positional group. (The Ravens’ specialists are safe. For now.)

But football is a zero-sum game, and for every snap a player loses to injury, someone else must pick it up. One opportunity forfeited is another gained.

Ahead of the Ravens’ third preseason game, here are eight Ravens who could stand to benefit from the team’s recent injury bug:

QB Trace McSorley

McSorley will play his first road game in the NFL at a stadium populated by more than a few Penn State fans. But their support will mean only so much if the former Nittany Lions star continues to give the ball away.

The rookie threw his second interception in as many preseason games last week against Green Bay, and the Packers nearly turned a fourth-quarter pass into a pick-six. In Tuesday’s joint practice against the Eagles, he overthrew open receivers late in 11-on-11 action, then tried to make up for the misses with a pair of throws that were intercepted.

McSorley’s most extensive playing time should come next week, when starter Lamar Jackson is expected to sit, but the rookie needs a pick-me-up performance. The Ravens seem committed to keeping him on their season-opening roster, especially with Griffin (fractured hand) still not cleared to practice fully, but more turnovers will raise more questions.

RB Tyler Ervin

With cornerback Cyrus Jones’ roster spot far more secure after Tavon Young’s potentially season-ending neck injury, Ervin could make the team as a punt returner, as Janarion Grant did last year. He’s produced there already through two preseason games, returning four punts for a combined 45 yards, with just one fair catch. (Jones, the Gilman product, has four fair catches and no returns.)

But Ervin will need to step up as a running back Thursday. He got four carries in the Ravens’ preseason opener and finished with just 5 yards. Last week, he rushed twice for 9 yards and added two catches on two targets for 15 yards.

With running backs Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon limited in practice Tuesday after missing Monday’s session, the Ravens should have more minutes at the position to go around.

That could bode well for Ervin: He’s played just 18 snaps on offense this preseason, but he’s touched the ball on eight of those plays.

WR Michael Floyd

Floyd was probably the most impressive of the Ravens’ on-the-bubble wide receivers during the team’s joint practices, especially when Jackson was at quarterback. But the former first-round pick and free-agent signing is running out of time to translate his practice performance to game action.

Over two weeks, Floyd has played a combined 56 offensive snaps and has been targeted zero times. (Unofficially, he’s been targeted once, drawing a 34-yard penalty for defensive pass interference against the Jacksonville Jaguars after getting a step on a defender deep.) No matter how well he’s practicing, it’ll be impossible to justify a receiver who doesn’t make catches in meaningful action, especially given the younger options the Ravens have.

With Marquise “Hollywood” Brown expected to sit out Thursday’s game and Miles Boykin having missed two of the past three practices, Floyd will get repetitions. But so will Antoine Wesley and Jaleel Scott.