Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet, one of the standouts of training camp, is being evaluated for a knee injury, coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday.
One day after a strong showing in Monday’s practice, Maulet missed Tuesday’s session. Afterward, Harbaugh said the slot cornerback has “been dealing with a knee issue” and indicated the severity of the injury was unknown.
“We’ll see,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not going to be anything season-ending. But we’re looking at it right now. We’ve got to figure out what it is.”
Asked whether Maulet could have a long-term injury, Harbaugh said: “I think I just answered that.”
Maulet played just over a third of the Ravens’ defensive snaps last season, but he impressed in coverage and as a blitzer. The 31-year-old signed a two-year extension this offseason and has been one of the Ravens’ most active players in the secondary since mandatory minicamp.
“I think it’s going well for me,” Maulet said last week. “Just trying to prove myself every day, make sure the team knows they didn’t waste their investment on me. Just want to grind out with the guys and get better every day. I’ve got some goals I want to accomplish; just pushing myself every day to get better.”
The Ravens have enough versatile defensive backs to cover up Maulet’s absence if he’s unavailable in the slot — safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey have both starred inside — but they’ll open the season with little margin for error. Four of the first five quarterbacks on their schedule are potential All-Pros: the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (Week 1), Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott (Week 3), Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (Week 4) and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow (Week 5).
Several other Ravens are nursing injuries. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who appeared to hurt his midsection after landing hard on a touchdown catch Monday, missed practice Tuesday. Harbaugh said the injury is “not serious” and not considered “long-term.”
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, the team’s top edge rusher in camp, sprained his ankle “a little bit” but “should be fine,” Harbaugh said. He also missed Tuesday’s practice.
Rookie outside linebacker Adisa Isaac (hamstring), who was activated off the non-football-injury list before Tuesday’s practice, was limited in his return to action. Harbaugh said the Ravens plan to “ramp up” the third-round pick’s workload in camp. Isaac missed most of the team’s offseason workouts, too, with a hamstring injury.
“He just hasn’t done anything, from the first day, really,” Harbaugh said. “Been working on that hamstring issue. So we’re going to bring him along, but the good news is, it’s still pretty early in camp, relatively speaking. We’ve still got three full preseason games and plenty of weeks of practice to get him ready. So he’s excited to be back. He’s worked hard to get back, and we’re looking forward to having him out there. We’ll just have to see how it kind of progresses during the week this week.”
Wide receiver Deonte Harty, a leading contender for return duties, left practice after about 45 minutes. Harbaugh said last week that the Baltimore native is dealing with a “nagging soft-tissue, lower-leg deal.”
Also missing Tuesday were center Tyler Linderbaum (soft tissue), defensive lineman Deadrin Senat, outside linebacker Quincy Roche and cornerback Trayvon Mullen (shoulder). Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee) and rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa (sports hernias) remain sidelined.
Note: The Ravens signed veteran wide receiver Russell Gage on Tuesday. Gage, 28, has 244 catches for 2,491 yards and 14 touchdowns over his career, but spent last year on injured reserve after tearing a patellar tendon in his knee at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training camp last year.
The 6-foot Gage practiced with the Ravens on Tuesday and is expected to play in their preseason opener Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles. “He’s a guy that’s proven, a proven player,” Harbaugh said. “Catches, a tough player, physical player, great hands, just a proven NFL veteran-type player. Just starting today, he looked good, but just starting to ramp him up a little bit.”
