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One day after Ravens coach John Harbaugh seemed to cast doubt on Tyus Bowser’s availability for this season, the injured outside linebacker said he was progressing in his return to the field.
During a live recording of PressBox’s “The Tyus Bowser Show” on Tuesday night, co-host Glenn Clark asked Bowser about Harbaugh’s comments on his recovery. At his Monday news conference, Harbaugh had said he would “let Tyus comment” on the knee injury that has sidelined him since training camp. Harbaugh added that the situation has “gotten a little more complicated over the last couple of weeks” and said Bowser “has to make some choices and decisions.”
Bowser, who’s worked out with the team’s training staff during practices in recent weeks but remains on the non-football-injury list, said Tuesday that he’s “feeling great.”
“I’m on the field,” Bowser added. “I’m moving around very well. I’m just gaining more and more confidence each and every day — not only on the field, but in the training room. I have great people around me, great support staff, and I feel like myself is getting to that point. I’m just going to continue to work hard, and when that time comes, it comes.”
Bowser, who has not spoken to reporters this season, acknowledged that there was “a lot going on” in the wake of Harbaugh’s comments. “There’s no better way of asking a guy himself, and just leave it at that.”
Bowser has been one of the Ravens’ most versatile linebackers over his six-plus seasons in Baltimore. After posting a career-high seven sacks in 2021, he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon and had two sacks in nine games (four starts) last season. The former second-round pick has also been strong against the run and and reliable in coverage throughout his career.
But Bowser’s return this year has been slow going. In mid-August, Harbaugh said Bowser was dealing with an agitated knee. In late August, he said he was hopeful Bowser would return by Week 3 but acknowledged that the decision remained in the hands of the team’s medical staff. A day later, Bowser was placed on the NFI list, sidelining him for at least the Ravens’ first four games but opening up a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
“If I can play, I’ll definitely play,” Bowser said Tuesday. “That’s the goal. That’s the mindset.”
If Bowser does return to action this season, his role on the Ravens’ defense could be smaller than expected. Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, who signed in August and September, respectively, have helped stabilize the Ravens’ outside linebacker position. Odafe Oweh, meanwhile, is set to return from an ankle injury soon, and David Ojabo said last week that his ankle and knee injuries are not season-ending.
The Ravens have also leaned on inside linebacker Malik Harrison to help set the edge on early downs. Rookie outside linebacker Tavius Robinson and second-year outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon, who was signed off the practice squad last month, have also earned snaps in recent weeks.
jonas.shaffer@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Jonas Shaffer is a Ravens beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun. Shaffer graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Silver Spring.
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