The Ravens should receive a boost when they play the Cowboys on Tuesday, with Lamar Jackson expected to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list and start at quarterback.
According to ESPN, Jackson completed his 10-day quarantine and is eligible to be reinstated Sunday. While Jackson hasn’t practiced over the last two weeks, he has participated in virtual meetings.
The Baltimore quarterback tested positive for the coronavirus last week and missed the thrice-delayed matchup with the Steelers, along with plenty of his teammates. In that 19-14 loss on Wednesday, Robert Griffin III started and completed 7-of-12 passes for 33 yards and an interception.
Trace McSorley replaced him under center late because of Griffin’s hamstring injury — which requires a stint on the injured reserve — and completed two passes, including a 70-yard touchdown throw to Marquise Brown. McSorley should be Jackson’s backup with Griffin out.
Jackson should give Baltimore an edge in what comes down to a must-win game against the Cowboys. The 6-5 Ravens trail Cleveland by two games with the Browns on tap next week. However, Jackson and the Ravens offense hasn’t hit the high marks they did last season, when Jackson won the MVP and the team broke the all-time rushing yards record in a season.
The Louisville product is completing 63.4 percent of his passes this season for 1,948 yards along with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Baltimore should also have running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram back for its Tuesday night contest, as well as outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and defensive end Calais Campbell.
In a statement from Ravens president Dick Cass on Saturday, the team experienced four different strains of the coronavirus.
“Based on information provided by the NFL, we have learned that we had at least four unique strains of COVID-19 in our facility,” Cass said in a statement. “Three of the four were stopped and not spread within our organization. Unfortunately, the fourth was a highly-contagious strain and spread throughout our organization.”
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