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Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

Lamar Jackson Out For Week 8; Ravens To Start Tyler Huntley

October 25th, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Connor Byrne

2:46pm: Part of the story of Jackson’s downgrade came as Baltimore changed the reporting of his practice participation from yesterday, changing the original “full practice” reporting to “limited practice.” Per Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports, the reason for the change was that Jackson only took scout team snaps at practice yesterday, getting no reps with the usual starters. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports provided the snippet from the NFL’s injury policy, which says, “participation on the scout team, no matter how extensive, by a player whose normal repetitions would be with the starters but for his medical condition, would not alter the player’s proper designation as ‘Limited Participation.'”

The NFL’s Management Council regularly investigates injury report disputes to ensure compliance with the policy, and though such investigations could take weeks, Baltimore could, at some point, be hit with a fine. Days after the largest sports gambling story in recent history hit the air waves, though, the league might think to make an example of the Ravens, if they find they can prove ill intent.

11:50am: Injured Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss Week 8 against the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Tyler Huntley, signed from the Ravens’ practice squad, will start. Jackson is expected to return in Week 9 in Miami.

While it was reported that Jackson was a full participant in practice on Friday, that was not the case. The Ravens announced that the two-time MVP remained limited with a hamstring injury. He’ll now miss his third straight game, an unwelcome development as Baltimore returns from its bye.

Off to a stunning 1-5 start after entering the season as Super Bowl hopefuls, the Ravens are 0-2 without Jackson. With Jackson unavailable, the Ravens initially turned to ex-Cowboy Cooper Rush as their starter. That couldn’t have gone worse. The Texans and Rams outscored the Ravens 61-13 in a pair of lopsided defeats. While Rush was a capable backup in Dallas, he went 25 for 39 for 251 yards, no touchdowns, and four interceptions in his first two starts as a Raven.

With Rush struggling mightily, the Ravens pulled him in favor of Huntley in the Rams game. Huntley finished the day 10 of 15 for 68 yards. Unlike Rush, Huntley can hurt defenses with his legs. He added 39 yards on three rushing attempts last week.

Huntley spent the first four years of his career in Baltimore before a regular-season stint with the Dolphins in 2024. He made nine starts for the Ravens from 2021-23. The team went 3-6 in those games, though Huntley’s 2-2 mark while filling in for Jackson in 2022 helped the Ravens earn a playoff berth.

As the Ravens try to keep their fading playoff hopes alive this year, they’ll need a strong performance out of Huntley against the 4-2 Bears. Regardless of whether the Ravens pull off a victory on Sunday, they’ll get Jackson back with a favorable schedule over the next several weeks. They’re set to face five straight sub-.500 opponents after Chicago, including the winless Jets in Week 12.

Lamar Jackson Not Guaranteed To Return Week 8

October 25th, 2025 at 10:15am CST by Ely Allen

OCTOBER 25: Jackson ran the scout team during Friday’s practice, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, another sign that he may not play on Sunday. However, the Ravens have leaned into the uncertainty around Jackson’s status this week as a way of interfering with the Bears’ preparation. At 1-5, Baltimore desperately needs a win, so they will take any competitive advantage they can get.

OCTOBER 24: After limping heavily out of a four-game losing streak, the Ravens got very healthy during their bye week. While four expected contributors on the defensive front remain out on injured reserve, the only player in Baltimore with an injury designation heading into the weekend is quarterback Lamar Jackson, and that designation of “questionable” could not be any more appropriate.

After getting a few injured players back two weeks ago, it was expected that the two they didn’t — Jackson and linebacker Roquan Smith — would be able to return after the bye. On Wednesday, Jackson returned to practice for the first time since injuring his hamstring in late-September, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley added that Jackson was a limited participant that day, taking reps behind usual backup Cooper Rush and practice squad quarterback Tyler Huntley.

After another limited practice yesterday, head coach John Harbaugh told the media that Jackson was able to be a full participant today. Despite the full practice also appearing on the team’s injury report, the “questionable” status remained. There was one move the team made today, though, that may hint towards the team’s expectations.

First reported by Zrebiec, the Ravens promoted Huntley from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. We saw something similar happen in San Francisco as the 49ers dealt with an injury to starter Brock Purdy. They had been calling up quarterback Adrian Martinez as a standard gameday practice squad elevation each week to back up the usual backup quarterback Mac Jones.

There was speculation that Purdy may be healthy enough to serve as the team’s third emergency quarterback, but they had yet to decide. A new rule was recently implemented making it so that a team can have three quarterbacks suit up for a football game instead of the previously permitted two. The rule was created after former-backup 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson suffered a concussion after coming in to replace an injured Purdy in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, and Purdy was forced to return to the game.

The new rule made it so that teams could have a third, emergency quarterback suited up to avoid such situations, but it required that the third QB be on the team’s 53-man roster. So, earlier this year, everybody waited to see if Martinez would be simply elevated or signed to the active roster. San Francisco ended up just elevating him that week, ensuring that Purdy would be inactive for that game.

So Huntley’s promotion tells us something about the team’s expectations. If Baltimore knew Jackson wasn’t going to be able to play, they could’ve just used Huntley’s third elevation without sacrificing a spot on the 53-man roster. Bringing him onto the active roster, though, indicates that all three quarterbacks will be able to suit up on Sunday.

There’s still a chance Jackson is made inactive for the game or gets ruled out eventually, but the Ravens have set it up for Jackson to start, with Huntley and Rush being available as backups. In fact, Harbaugh also told the media that Huntley has surpassed Rush as QB2, making Rush’s two-year, $6.2MM contract appear quite large for a third-string passer.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport went on air today saying that it seems like the Ravens are preparing for Jackson to start this weekend, but they want to make it through the next two days before they make any official announcements about the two-time MVP being back. If it’s not Jackson this Sunday, it will be Huntley.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/24/25

October 24th, 2025 at 8:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves as we head into the eighth weekend of the regular season:

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): LB Kobe King

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Mitchell-Paden, an undrafted free agent back in 2022, saw the first regular season snaps of his NFL career earlier this year as the Ravens dealt with the absence of a then-injured Isaiah Likely. Mitchell-Paden was waived yesterday in order to make room for practice squad quarterback Tyler Huntley, and New Orleans took the initiative to bring him on, cutting Jones, who had been promoted from the practice squad on Tuesday, to make room on the 53-man roster.

King was waived so that Minnesota could make room for running back Aaron Jones to come off of injured reserve, and Kinsey is getting promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in Tennessee after appearing as an elevation is last week’s game. Saubert’s brief stint on the free agent market appears to have had some procedural purpose. Seattle released the veteran on Wednesday, and no other roster spot juggling was done before the team signed him back today.

Ravens Sign OLB Carl Lawson

October 23rd, 2025 at 6:16pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Ravens signed veteran edge rusher Carl Lawson on Thursday, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

The seven-year veteran will join Baltimore’s practice squad after a workout earlier this week, according to KPRC2’S Aaron Wilson. A shortage of outside linebacker depth could press Lawson into action right away, though he will have to get up to speed quickly after not signing with any team this offseason.

The Ravens currently have three healthy edge rushers on their active roster after trading Odafe Oweh to the Chargers and losing Tavius Robinson to a broken foot in Week 6. Robinson was placed on injured reserve and is not expected back until late November at the earliest. 2024 third-rounder Adisa Isaac started the year on IR and could return sooner than Robinson, but he barely played as a rookie and is still somewhat of an unknown quantity.

Lawson brings plenty of experience with 89 appearances and 34 starts in his career. The 2017 fourth-round pick logged 20.0 sacks for the Bengals in his first four seasons before signing a three-year deal with the Jets in 2021. A torn Achilles ended his season in training camp, but he came back strong in 2022, starting all 17 games with seven sacks and nine tackles for loss. Injuries hampered Lawson in 2023, but he rebounded again in 2024 with five sacks in a rotational role for the Cowboys.

The Ravens also waived tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden on Thursday, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, signaling that veteran fullback Patrick Ricard will be making his season debut on Sunday. Ricard missed the first six games with a nagging calf injury with Mitchell-Paden filling his role in the offense, but his absence has had a noticeable impact on the Ravens’ run game.

Ravens Activate Rookie OL Emery Jones

October 22nd, 2025 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

While returns to practice for quarterback Lamar Jackson and linebacker Roquan Smith garnered much of the attention in Baltimore today, Wednesday also saw the Ravens put in a transaction that could benefit the team’s attempts to turn this season around in another way. Today Baltimore activated rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones from the reserve/non-football injury list, on the very last day of his 21-day practice window, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

The third-round pick out of LSU was placed on the list due to shoulder surgery that he underwent when he was still a draft prospect just a week separated from the NFL Scouting Combine. The Ravens selected him near the end of Day 2 partially aware of the time it would take him to return and potentially contribute. Originally, Jones was expected to return sometime around training camp, but as it became clear that a regular season deadline was going to be a stretch to make, Baltimore opted to wait until he could be fully healthy and ended up using all four required weeks from opening the year on the NFI list plus the entirety of his three-week practice window before activating him.

Early hopes concerning Jones’ use on the offensive line were that he may be able to step into the swing tackle role left vacant by the exit of Patrick Mekari or that he would compete for one of the starting guard spots. Despite projecting as an interior lineman as a left tackle in high school, Jones played solely at right tackle for the Tigers and saw projections at guard once again in the draft. Upon Jones’ return to practice, head coach John Harbaugh claimed they would be working him at both tackle and guard.

If Jones could step in as a swing tackle, it would provide a younger, cheaper option to current backup tackle Joe Noteboom, who has struggled filling in for Ronnie Stanley at times this year. What could really impact the Ravens would be if Jones can displace one of the team’s starting guards, Daniel Faalele or Andrew Vorhees. Faalele is a physical specimen on the interior — listed at 6-foot-8, 370 pounds — but has struggled to find consistent play as a starter. Vorhees was a projected second- or third-rounder whose draft stock fell when he tore his ACL during drills at the combine. He’s earned a starting role in his third year in Baltimore but has commonly been grouped with Faalele as weak spots on the line.

It may be too soon to expect Jones to displace any of Noteboom, Faalele, or Vorhees from their current roles just yet, but at this point, he’s finally healthy and has three weeks of practice under his belt. Activating Jones puts him on the 53-man roster, and to open up a spot for him, the Ravens placed third-year pass rusher Tavius Robinson on injured reserve, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Another third-year player in a new starting role, Robinson recently broke his foot and will now join Adisa Isaac, Nnamdi Madubuike, and Broderick Washington as front-seven defenders on IR.

Ravens Host Carl Lawson, Efe Obada

October 21st, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the Ravens prepare for the post-bye portion of their schedule, they find themselves on the lookout for depth additions along the edge. A number of free agents are receiving a look.

Among the veterans Baltimore is interested in is Carl Lawson. The former Bengal, Jet and Cowboy recently took part in a workout, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes. Lawson has 89 regular season appearances to his name, including 15 with Dallas last season. After seeing his contract expire in the spring, the 30-year-old was not linked to any interested teams through training camp or the first month-plus of the campaign.

Another veteran edge rusher on the Ravens’ radar is Efe Obada. He is among the players being hosted today, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Obada has played 80 games split between the Panthers, Bill and Commanders; he posted between four and 5.5 sacks each year from 2020-22. Like Lawson, the 33-year-old would be expected to take on a rotational role in the event he signed with the Ravens.

No area of Baltimore’s defense has lived up to expectations so far in 2025, and the unit’s struggles have contributed to a 1-5 record. In particular, a lack of pass rush production has been a sore spot. The Ravens have recorded just eight sacks this season, the fewest in the NFL. Improving in that regard will be critical if the season is to be salvaged over the coming weeks.

Baltimore traded away Odafe Oweh recently after it became known no extension would be worked out with the former first-rounder. More recently, Tavius Robinson has suffered a broken foot; he will be sidelined for an extended period as a result. With the team short on healthy options along the edge, it comes as little surprise the Ravens are looking into available free agents.

Also included in Baltimore’s recent batch of workouts is linebacker Jesse Luketa, per Zrebiec. The 26-year-old Canadian was drafted by the Cardinals in 2022, and he made 31 appearances across three seasons. Luketa has a track record of heavy usage on special teams and he posted a career-high three sacks last season. It will be interesting to see if he or any of the other defenders being auditioned land a deal in the near future. Baltimore currently has $14.65MM in cap space.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/25

October 20th, 2025 at 6:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Indianapolis Colts

San Francisco 49ers

David Long Jr. brings some experience to Indy’s practice squad, as the veteran defensive back has seen time in 79 career games. This included a 13-game showing with the Colts in 2024, although all but nine of his 117 snaps came on special teams. If he finds his way to the active roster, he’ll likely be eyeing a similar role this time around.

AFC Trade Notes: Patriots, Colts, Chiefs, Ravens, Jaguars

October 19th, 2025 at 4:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots improved to 5-2 on the season with their win this afternoon. As a result, New England could be one of the teams inclined to pursue trade additions over the coming days.

The Pats have already made one in-season swap, sending Ja’Lynn Polk to the Saints. That trade left the team thinner at the receiver spot, but an addition at that position does not appear to be forthcoming. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported New England should not be expected to pursue a receiver move compared to other positions (video link). Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas have each played a role in quarterback Drake Maye‘s strong start to the season; it seems that depth chart will not change in the near future.

On the other hand, New England’s pass rush room could be different shortly. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (subscription required) the Patriots are making calls about an addition along the edge. With a league-leading $55MM in cap space, the team could certainly afford a splashy addition. Meanwhile, New England is receiving calls about a number of internal players, per Russini. Anfernee Jennings could be on the move, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. The 28-year-old has lost his starting spot, so a change of scenery could be worked out allowing him to return to first-team action. Jennings – who would be an inexpensive target for interested teams – is under contract through 2026.

As the November 4 deadline approaches, here are some other trade notes from around the AFC:

  • Injuries (along with Xavien Howard‘s retirement) have ravaged the Colts’ secondary in 2025. In spite of that, Indianapolis has managed to start the season 5-1. It would thus come as little surprise if the team operated as a buyer ahead of the deadline. Per Russini, cornerback is a position being targeted as part of the general aim of adding on defense. Finances could be a challenge since Indianapolis has just $4.7MM in cap space, but the team will be one to monitor regarding at least a modest acquisition.
  • After a shutout win against Vegas, the Chiefs are 4-3. Kansas City has been named as one of the top suitors for a backfield addition, but it appears nothing is imminent on that front. Russini reports the Chiefs are making calls about a defensive line acquisition but not doing so for running backs. Most of the team’s incumbent backs are pending free agents, although the second half of the campaign could convince Kansas City to retain one or more of them. The Chiefs’ passing game has thrived this year, but they sit mid-pack in rushing production.
  • Second-year Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr has drawn criticism for his unit’s poor play early on. Orr is safe in his current position, and he could soon have one or more new players in the fold. According to Rappoport, Baltimore is in the market for a defensive addition. General manager Eric DeCosta has a history of being aggressive on the trade front, and the Ravens have the cap space ($14.65MM) to swing at least a rental move ahead of the deadline.
  • Both Rapoport and Russini point to the Jaguars as another team to watch. Jacksonville has made a pair of trades since the start of the campaign, and more could be coming. Defensive help is being sought out, and Rapoport specifies the D-line as an area which could be targeted. Sunday’s lopsided loss to the Rams dropped Jacksonville to 4-3; the team leads the NFL in interceptions but ranks just 22nd in scoring defense.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/25

October 14th, 2025 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: G Karsen Barnhart, LB Garrett Nelson

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: K Mark McNamee

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: OT Bayron Matos, QB Brett Rypien
  • Released: OT Marcellus Johnson

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: TE Marshall Lang
  • Released: DB Tyron Herring, TE Gee Scott Jr.

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

  • Released: G Tyler Cooper

With Anthony Richardson heading to injured reserve with an eye injury, the Colts are set to add some QB depth in veteran Brett Rypien, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 29-year-old brings four games of starting experience to Indy, with his most recent start coming with the Rams in 2023. In total, Rypien has completed 58.3 percent of his career passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Riley Leonard will temporarily be the QB2 behind Daniel Jones, but there’s a chance Rypien eventually works his way up to the active roster.

The Chargers moved on from a notable edge defender today in Clelin Ferrell. The former Raiders first-round pick started all 17 games for the 49ers just two years ago, with the edge rusher finishing that campaign with 3.5 sacks and 13 QB hits. He started 10 of his 14 appearances with the Commanders in 2024, adding another 3.5 sacks to his resume. After being among Washington’s final preseason cuts, Ferrell caught on with the Chargers practice squad and ended up getting into one game with the big-league club.

The Eagles moved on from a pair of skill players today. Audric Estime was a fifth-round pick by the Broncos last year, with the running back compiling 337 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 81 touches. He was waived by Denver back in August and landed on Philly’s practice squad. Javon Baker was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in last year’s draft, but he was limited to a single catch in 11 games.

Ravens Release S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

October 14th, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is beginning to take a Diontae Johnson-like journey around the NFL, right down to joining and then leaving the Ravens. Baltimore is releasing the veteran safety from its practice squad.

This may be more of a fit-related transaction, however, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating Gardner-Johnson’s agent viewed the team’s addition of Alohi Gilman as an impediment for his client. Gardner-Johnson’s agent said the well-traveled defender is looking for a “clearer path to play.”

The Ravens have struggled mightily on defense this season, but the team does have some safety options. Gilman joins All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and first-round pick Malaki Starks. While the rookie has struggled to open his debut season, the Ravens have plenty invested at safety between the fully guaranteed first-round contract and Hamilton’s market-shifting extension.

Gilman has also been a regular starter for years, and he played 83% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps in the team’s Week 6 matchup; this included a starting assignment less than a week after being acquired.

The Gilman-for-Odafe Oweh trade came on the same day the Ravens signed Gardner-Johnson to their practice squad. The latter transaction marked a bounce-back opportunity for Gardner-Johnson, who had been jettisoned by two teams since March. Like Johnson last year, Gardner-Johnson joined the Ravens after two teams moved on. Less than a year after the Ravens suspended the increasingly mercurial wideout and then waived him, they will wrap Gardner-Johnson’s tenure at a week.

Being traded from Philadelphia to Houston as part of a trade that sent Kenyon Green to the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson received his Texans walking papers three games into the season. The Texans used Gardner-Johnson as a three-game starter. Like Johnson in 2024, the trash-talking DB requested a trade out of his second stop of the year. The Texans instead cut him, as they did Johnson shortly after claiming him. Green is also gone from Philly, making the March swap a lose-lose trade. The former first-round guard is on the Ravens’ practice squad, representing an interesting fallout from the Eagles-Texans trade.

Gardner-Johnson, 27, has been traded twice and been part of four teams. The Saints dealt him to the Eagles in a contract year, and after some confusion about a return to Philly, CJGJ ended up in Detroit as a 2023 free agent. The Eagles re-signed the former fourth-round pick and deployed him as a starter, leading to a second six-interception season in three years as the team mounted a championship run. Gardner-Johnson is a 64-game starter; he will look for a path that allows him to add to that total.

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