A long injury report grew in size for the Ravens on Friday.
The Ravens placed nose tackle Brandon Williams, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and edge rushers Justin Houston and Jaylon Ferguson on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced.
Offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and defensive end Derek Wolfe (hip/back) will miss Sunday's game against Detroit, the team also announced via its Friday injury report, while quarterback Lamar Jackson (illness), cornerback Jimmy Smith (ankle), cornerback Tavon Young (knee), linebacker Pernell McPhee (shoulder) and receiver Marquise Brown (ankle) are questionable.
Jackson’s presence on this list is of the utmost importance, as he is the engine that powers Baltimore’s ground-heavy attack. Jackson’s heroics helped the Ravens overcome a two-score deficit to beat the Chiefs last weekend.
Baltimore has used a rotation along its defensive front through two weeks, and Friday's news will hinder those plans in Week 3. Houston played the most snaps in Week 2 among those placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list at 53 percent of Baltimore's 51 total defensive plays, with Madubuike following close behind at 49 percent (25 snaps). Williams played 37 percent (19 snaps) of defensive plays and Ferguson played just one defensive snap, spending the majority of his time on special teams.
Baltimore still has exciting rookie Odafe Oweh available, but it's likely he and others will have to play more than the share they spent on the field on Sunday night.
Stanley played 67 snaps in Baltimore's Week 1 loss to Las Vegas, but was unable to suit up for the Ravens' Week 2 win over the Chiefs. Wolfe has not played in a game this season.
The Ravens have been hit harder by the injury bug than any other team this season, notably losing their top three running backs before Week 1 even kicked off. They'll be forced to again adjust on the fly, unless the players on the COVID-19 list are vaccinated and test negative twice in a 24-hour span. With kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET, their window for return is narrow at best.