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.
