Ravens starting outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy could miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, according to ESPN.
Coach John Harbaugh declined to elaborate Monday, only saying there’s “nothing season-ending or long, long term” with any of the Ravens injured in Sunday’s 41-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Van Noy left Sunday’s game early in the second quarter after pulling up on a pass rush rep as he closed in on quarterback Joe Flacco. He did not return.
Van Noy, who’s appeared in 32 of a possible 34 games over his Ravens career, earned Pro Bowl honors last season after leading the Ravens with 12.5 sacks, fourth-most in the NFL. A steady run defender, he played 68.2% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps in their Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Without Van Noy, the Ravens will have to rely more on Tavius Robinson and Mike Green along with Odafe Oweh. David Ojabo, a healthy scratch the first two weeks, will also likely be activated. Robinson is the team’s only outside linebacker with a sack through two games, though Green, Robinson and Oweh combined for nine pressures Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.
Harbaugh said Monday that he could see inside linebacker Trenton Simpson contributing to the pass rush as a SAM linebacker when the team lines up in its base defense. Simpson played a similar role at Clemson. However, Harbaugh said Simpson doesn’t have the body type to line up as a defensive end in other formations as Van Noy did.
The Ravens face the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams over the next four weeks before their Week 7 bye.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey left Sunday’s game early in the fourth quarter with a groin injury. His availability in the slot will be crucial Monday against Detroit’s offense, which excels at creating throwing windows over the middle.
Should Humphrey have to miss the game, that could place even more importance on cornerback Jaire Alexander’s practice week. Alexander dealt with a knee injury through most of August and only returned to practice four days before the season opener.
He did not play as well as he could have and ended up on the inactive list for Week 2. Harbaugh said they wanted him to focus on getting back in “football shape” before he returned to the field, but he also is confident Alexander “will play great football for us this year.” As of Monday, Harbaugh expected Alexander back “sooner rather than later.”
Running back Rasheen Ali left the game with a concussion. Ali, who dealt with a concussion early in his rookie year, was hurt on a collision on the opening kickoff. Running back Keaton Mitchell was a healthy scratch and can be activated for a third running back option. He also had been working on returning kicks throughout camp.
“It’s not that I don’t want to give [information] to you or the fans,” Harbaugh told reporters Monday when asked about injury updates. “I don’t want to give it to the Lions, that’s the main thing right now.”
He did acknowledge that fullback Patrick Ricard is taking longer to recover from his calf injury than anticipated. Ricard has been missing since Aug. 18. The Ravens begin their preparations for the Lions on Wednesday.
Banner Ravens reporter Giana Han contributed to this article.
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