Ravens linebacker expected to land on season-ending IR after suffering injury vs. Bengals
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a brutal 32-14 Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving, knocking the team to a 6-6 record on the season. On Friday, reports indicate that a linebacker on the team is expected to be placed on the season-ending IR.
Chandler Martin, who is an undrafted free agent, is expected to go on the IR due to a knee injury he suffered in the game against the Bengals, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The Ravens will lose some linebacker depth with five games remaining in the regular season.
“Ravens linebacker Chandler Martin is expected to go on season-ending injured reserve after suffering a knee injury Thursday night vs. Bengals, per source.”
Martin’s first season in the league ends after participating in just three games for the Ravens. The 22-year-old rookie recorded five combined tackles (one solo) across those contests. Chandler Martin was seeing increased playing time in the past few weeks, but his season is effectively over.
It’s unclear what the Ravens plan to do for now. The franchise may sign a player off waivers or from the practice squad to fill Martin’s roster spot. But only time will tell what Baltimore’s move will be.
Either way, the loss to the Bengals hurts the Ravens’ chances to reach the playoffs this season. Luckily, there are still five games remaining on the schedule, as that gives the team plenty of opportunities to right the ship. They move on to Week 14, where Baltimore will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are in first place in the AFC North.
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Makes Trevon Diggs Guarantee for Week 14
It has been more than a month-and-a-half now since the Dallas Cowboys have seen star cornerback Trevon Diggs on the field. Diggs, remember, appeared to be fine before suffering a mysterious mid-week concussion at his home before the Cowboys were slated to play the Commanders. Soon after the concussion, it was revealed that Diggs was also struggling to get himself fully healthy after having had offseason knee surgery.
In Diggs’ case, though, the opposite knee was the one that has been troublesome.
The Cowboys put Diggs on the injured reserve, hoping to give him time to recover from the knee and the concussion simultaneously. The Cowboys have not had much to say about Diggs since, other than he is running and getting up to speed, but that he has not had his practice window yet opened.
“He’s doing better,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday. “One of the issues this week is that it’s a short week. Again, we’ll see what everybody does, but short weeks are a little harder. He’s doing everything best, and has a really good look on his face.”
Trevon Diggs Will ‘Be on the Field’
Now, though, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is saying that the team is ready to get Diggs back into action. The Cowboys played Thursday of course, beating the Chiefs on Thanksgiving, and have another Thursday game coming up, against the Lions. Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that Diggs will be back.
“He’ll be on the field,” Jones said. “Could have been on the field, wanted to be on the field (on Thursday), but he’ll be on the field at Detroit, in my view.”
There could be setbacks with Diggs, of course, and some obstacle or other could present itself. But for a team in need of depth at cornerback, Jones is expecting Diggs back.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (Getty)
Cowboys Need Help at Cornerbacks
The hope is that the Cowboys can get Diggs back to some semblance of his usual self, which has been difficult in recent years because of repeated knee and other injuries. Diggs has played just 19 games in his past three seasons.
Diggs also complained loudly this season about the new defense of coordinator Matt Eberflus, and the lack of man coverage in the scheme. But, fact was, Diggs was struggling to maintain his standard (he was a Pro Bowler in his second and third seasons) whether in man or zone, and rated a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.7, which is just 66th among corners in the NFL.
The Cowboys have vastly improved their defense since the last time Diggs played, but the corners could still use help. Dallas cut ties with Kaiir Elam earlier in the month, and have young corners Caelan Carson and Shavon Revel now in the rotation. A veteran like Diggs, provided he is healthy, has the potential to be a big addition.
