Ahead of their Week 4 game, the Ravens placed Nnamdi Madubuike on injured reserve. At the time, it remained unclear how long the Pro Bowl defensive tackle would be absent. 
When speaking to the media on Monday (video link), head coach John Harbaugh revealed a return will not be taking place. Madubuike’s neck injury will leave him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. Today’s news marks a major blow to a defense which exited Sunday with a number of high-profile injuries.
Madubuike has spent his entire career in Baltimore after entering the league in 2020. The former third-rounder emerged as an impactful player along the defensive front while playing out his rookie contract, and the franchise tag was used last offseason to ensure a free agent departure would not take place. In the end, team and player worked out a four-year, $98MM deal.
That monster pact fell in line with the surging defensive tackle market and cemented Madubuike’s status as a foundational player for the Ravens moving forward. The 27-year-old posted his third consecutive season without any missed games in 2024. Instead of that being the case once more this year, however, he will turn his attention to a lengthy recovery process. The Ravens will now move forward with a depleted D-tackle group.
Fellow starter Broderick Washington is on injured reserve, and Sunday marked the first of at least four games he will miss as a result. Travis Jones was also inactive yesterday, leading to a defensive front comprised entirely of backups against Kansas City. That setup may prove to be necessary moving forward, depending on Jones’ status. Baltimore has veterans John Jenkins and Brent Urban, along with sixth-round rookie Aeneas Peebles, in line to handle an increased workload the rest of the way.
Those depth options will not be able to replace Madubuike’s impact against the pass, however. The Texas A&M product earned second-team All-Pro honors with 13 sacks in 2023. He followed that up with 6.5 last year, leading to a second straight Pro Bowl nod. Madubuike notched a pair of sacks this year prior to being injured in Week 2.
While his attention will now turn to recovery, the 1-3 Ravens will aim to rebound on defense. Baltimore leads the league in points allowed, but making needed improvements will be challenging without Madubuike in the picture.
Yikes. Sad and amazed how fast Baltimore’s season has gone so wrong.
Just hope it’s not going to affect him long term it was awesome watching him breakout during the past season
With the way they have been so cryptic with the messaging and not stating what the injury is, I am pretty sure this is the end of his career. Something akin to Zach Orr went through.
Here’s the most recent info:
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Madubuike went on injured reserve Saturday before the Ravens’ 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now there are questions about when, or if, he will come back to play.
When asked if Madubuike’s neck injury could be career-threatening, Harbaugh indicated that he’s not allowed to share much.
“A lot of that is things he needs to address with you guys in his time,” Harbaugh said. “I really can’t speak for him, wouldn’t want to. Those are questions that would be best answered by him going forward.”
Harbaugh said Madubuike may still be getting more information on the injury as well.”
That is from the Ravens’ website. Sounds pretty bad to me. Same thing is going on with one of the younger Orioles prospects, Heston Kjersted. As a younger rookie during COVID, he contracted myocarditis. That ended his season and a bit more time, but he was able to come back. Then he got beaned in the head and went into concussion protocol. He came back from that, scuffled in the majors, got hit again, and then got sent down to the minors. He scuffled there, not really looking like himself for a couple of weeks, and then he went on the IL with “fatigue” back in July and never played again. The Orioles have not said a thing about the issue only that it wouldn’t be right for them to comment. I am thinking he suffered another heart-related issue that will force him to retire.
Somehow the Lions survived last year when their defense was decimated
Thats cause the Lions have a goated O Line and an Offense that puts up alot of Points!!!
It’s because the lions QB can run a more complicated offense than Georgia tech does. Lamarginal shuts down when people can shut down the run game. Look at his “hamstring” injury the moment it got hard for the ravens. People actually vote this guy for an MVP.
I made the same comment when he came out of the game. He didn’t take a nasty hit, he didn’t get up slow, he wasn’t limping or grimacing, the only thing I saw him do was throw his little tantrum like he always does when things don’t go his way, toss his helmet and start mean mugging. I didn’t see any trainer rush over to see him, and then they wrap his leg and take him out of the game because his ego was taking too much of a hit. He didn’t want to be embarrassed like that AGAIN by the Chiefs.
This man is not a leader. When the going gets tough, Lamar gets going….out of the game. When the games get tough and get put on the line, he chokes, and the team follows suit.
This is truly one of the stupidest takes I’ve ever heard on this site. You don’t watch much football do you bud. Good call though.
You can hear text?
My call is accurate. I’ve watched plenty of football and played more at a higher level than you ever did. And I am not your bud, pal.
Lamar is a choke artist. If you think otherwise, it has been you that hasn’t been watching football. Lamar throws temper tantrums when things don’t go his way. If you don’t think so, then you haven’t been watching him blow up and whine on the sidelines, just like he did over the weekend against the Chiefs.
Thanks for posting and exposing yourself, though. Please keep responding, I need a few laughs.
Here’s the latest official Harbaugh comment on Lamar when asked if he would have/could have returned if the game was closer:
“There was no way he was going to go back into the game,” Harbaugh said. “The injury precluded it. The way I know Lamar, if he could’ve gone in the game, he would’ve been in the game. That’s how he is.”
Harbaugh said he’s not exactly sure when Jackson suffered his hamstring injury. Harbaugh did not say if Jackson will be able to practice on Wednesday, or if he will be available for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.”
I am going out on a limb and saying he might miss a practice or two, because he doesn’t always practice. Veterans sometimes get a day off here and there, and then he’ll practice Wed, Thur, and he’s starting his next game. I’d be shocked if he didn’t.
Mobile QB’s always have to run a dumbed down college offense because they aren’t smart enough to understand an NFL offense or read an NFL defense.
lol what?
I will give Lamar credit where it is due. He has become a much better passer over his time in the NFL. When everything is clicking, it works great. The problem is, there are teams that know how to defend this offense and disrupt it, and the Ravens have no response to it. The Chiefs have been doing it for years. They force Lamar into situations where he isn’t comfortable. Then he gets frustrated, and he makes dumb mistakes.