Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith said Thursday that he never goes into any game “meaning to injure any player” and wished Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin a “speedy recovery” from the season-ending ankle injury he suffered Monday.

Godwin, who entered Tampa Bay’s “Monday Night Football” game against the Ravens leading the NFL in catches, dislocated his ankle late in the 41-31 loss. The injury happened after Godwin caught a pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield over the middle and was tackled from behind by Smith, whose lower body appeared to fall on Godwin’s ankle as he forced him to the ground. The injury will require surgery, and Godwin was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

”First and foremost, just send prayers and speedy recovery out to Chris and whatnot,” Smith, who was not flagged for the tackle, said Thursday. “Got a lot of respect for him as a player, what he’s accomplished throughout this league. And the little I’ve seen of him, seems like a really good dude, from what I’ve heard, good family man.

”So you never want to see anybody go down with any kind of injury, but we play a very physical game, and it demands a lot. And bullets are flying pretty fast, but I never go into any game meaning to injure any player. I want every player to go back home safe and sound to their family, maybe a little sore, but other than that, I definitely want you to get back home to your family all safe and sound.”

If Smith’s tackle on Godwin meets the criteria of a hip-drop tackle, which the league banned this past offseason, he would be subject to a fine. According to the NFL, a hip-drop tackle occurs when “a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto [the] ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.”

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews missed nearly three months last season because of a hip-drop tackle. Last month, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon missed three games after suffering a high-ankle sprain on a hip-drop tackle by Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. Edwards also was not flagged during the game, but he later received a $16,833 fine.

Smith declined to say whether the league had adjudicated his tackle on Godwin. “That’s not really something to discuss in this moment,” he said.

Help is coming to the secondary

Arthur Maulet is ready to get his “nose dirty.”

After missing the final month of the preseason and the first seven games, the cornerback is finally healthy and ready to return for his second season in a Ravens jersey. The wait has been frustrating.

“When I signed that two-year contract, I told Harbs [coach John Harbaugh] and the coaching staff, I want to make sure that they know that the investment that they gave me, that it was worth it,” Maulet said. “... I was ready to play. I was ready to prove myself. And I’m behind the eight ball right now.”

Maulet had a strong start to training camp and was taking reps with the starters. Last season, he was a major reason the secondary’s depth was so strong, and he found success at nickelback. But his progress was paused when he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August.

He tried to get back on the field as fast as possible. The surgery typically has a six- to eight-week return window, and Maulet returned to practice Oct. 2, eight weeks after his surgery. However, he suffered a setback after tweaking his hamstring and did not participate in his second practice until Oct. 17. He has practiced every day since, but Thursday was his first full practice, he said.

While he’s been sidelined, Maulet has watched as his fellow defensive backs have struggled. They’ve given up the most passing yards in the league (2,159) and the second-most yards per catch (8.1). In the last three games, they’ve given up 371, 253 and 356 passing yards.

They’re doing this with a mostly healthy roster and a number of should-be star players, including Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey, first-round pick cornerback Nate Wiggins and former standouts cornerback Brandon Stephens and safety Marcus Williams.

On a number of plays, there appear to be communication breakdowns as players yell, wave their hands in the air, point and gesture at each other. The result has been a number of huge plays made by wide-open wide receivers.

Maulet said it’s something they can fix. But it’s been tough watching from the sidelines, feeling as if he could help.

“I’m big on communicating,” Maulet said. “That’s part of my game, kind of helping guys get aligned and confirming formations and all those type of things.”

Maulet has been practicing hard since he returned, and he hopes he can be a positive influence on the struggling secondary.

“I think that’s one of my niches that I’m really good at is communication,” Maulet said. “... And I’m the dirty work guy. I get my nose dirty. I do all this stuff that everybody doesn’t want to do, so I’m cool with it.”